

Poiye

By A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Ch. 1

Ch. 2

Ch. 3

Ch. 4

Ch. 5

Ch. 6

Ch. 7

Ch. 8

Ch. 9

Ch. 10

Ch. 11

Ch. 12

Ch. 13

Ch. 14

Ch. 15

Ch. 16

Ch. 17

Ch. 18

Ch. 1

The sky was beautiful that night. The stars were shining down like little diamonds from the heavens, and the dark blue sky transcended into black throughout my wide range of vision. The air was cool as the last of summer mixed with the first hints of fall. I looked to my left at the dazzle of city lights in the distance, wondering just how much more I would see of the sky if they all suddenly went out. My dad seemed to have the same thought, he caught my gaze in mutual understanding and together we looked back into the sky above. He was one for stargazing, we used to make it once a week out to that spot, but recently, with his ever growing need to be at work, we only made it once a month. It was alright though, even if we had to make it once a year at least we would have our time together.

My dad worked in the research department for some company I couldn't pronounce the name of. His boss had to cut spending and ended up cutting several workers from that department. They kept my dad of course because he had been there the longest and had the most knowledge of the software they used. The only problem is that he had to figure things out with just a partner and not an entire team. He ended up getting paid a little more, but with much less time at home. As I looked at him in that one moment I could see past his wide brimmed glasses to the happiness it caused him to be out with me doing what we loved to do best.

A particularly cool breeze started up and I shivered, wishing I had brought a jacket along. I'm still so used to the summer I forgot it's been getting colder at night. We had been out there on the side of the road for over two hours staring upwards. It was very relaxing; though I'm sure some would say boring. We both have an appreciation for any type of science, but most exclusively astronomy. Not that I like the others any less (well maybe chemistry) it's just that it is the easiest that we can obverse. All we need is a clear night and we're ready to go.

I lifted my head up from the windshield of my dad's minivan and sat there for a while, listening hard. I heard something, a low humming of sorts from somewhere up above, I could tell it was moving, from the east with the lights from the city, to the west, but I could not see anything. I looked all around, following its movement closely, and then it was gone, as if never there. I craned my neck and looked in the direction it was heading, and saw nothing, not counting the stars and occasional satellite or high flying plane, but there was nothing closer, at least not that I could see.

I slowly put my head back onto the windshield and tried to forget about the noise, which was probably just a bug. It wouldn't have been the first time something interesting happened while stargazing. Once when I was younger, I don't remember how young exactly, we saw something that my dad was sure was a UFO. We definitely couldn't identify whatever it was as it flew in circles in the sky for a few minutes before disappearing, but I seriously doubt it was aliens. I don't believe for one minute that little green (or gray as my dad keeps correcting me) creatures come all the way from other galaxies just to hang out and freak people out and leave. I mean, I do believe in life on other planets, but more like plants or cute furry critters. I do humor my dad though, and when that story comes up I tell people just how strange a sighting that was all those years ago.

There was another time not too long ago when we saw the headlights of a car coming toward us, just to see it disappear. He is still claiming it was a ghost car, though I think it was just someone who turned off the road when we weren't looking. Despite my father's peculiarities I enjoy spending time with him, and it beats homework any day. Just then he leapt up as if hearing my thoughts.

"All right, you ready to go Bessie?" He asked, looking thoroughly rested, which was a shock considering he looked half dead when he got home a few hours before.

"Just about." I said feeling slightly put out that it was time to go already. "Hey, did you hear anything a minute ago, I mean something strange?" I asked the question carefully, I didn't want him thinking I was going insane.

"No, I don't – wait, was it like a small explosion?"

'"What? No."

"Oh, well then no I didn't hear anything."

I dropped it there. My dad unlocked the car and I jumped in. I saw him open the trunk and put his jacket in, and then we pulled away. On the way home we talked about my school and his work, but I don't really remember the details, the entire time I was thinking about that noise I heard and tried to find an explanation. I guess I'm a scientist already; I can't stand to leave any question unresolved. I never did find an explanation that night, but the memory stuck with me.

The lights were on when we got home; my mother would never go to bed with us still out and about. Sure enough we found her sitting in her usual chair near the window, crocheting some sort of bag. She looked up at us expectantly when we came in. Lips pursed, graying hair in a tight and clumsily made bun. She looked about to rise, but thought better of it.

"That took a while." She said, her voice faltering from its usual patient tone. She wasn't really fond of going out after dark and was equally displeased when we did it.

"Yeah," my dad started slowly, "we said we'd be back later."

She turned to me now "It's late and you have school tomorrow."

"Maybe."

"Your teacher called."

I didn't like the way she said that, something must be up. "Which one? I have several."

"Your English teacher."

"Oh, him."

"Mr. Turner. And do you know what he said?"

"Maybe he –" She didn't even let me finish my sarcastic answer.

"He says you're failing."

I felt a flash of anger. Why couldn't he have told me first? Did he really have to call my mother? "Are you sure that's what he said?"

"Elizabeth, why don't you take _all_ of your classes seriously?"

I hated it when she used my full name. "The other classes are easier for me, and besides, I probably just failed that last test. I'll do better on the next one."

"He said you've been teetering on the edge for a while now."

For the first time I noticed that my dad had vanished. He hated confrontation and usually avoided it if possible. "It's still September, we only have like three grades. Only one test, so of course if I failed it I'm failing the class. I promise if I'm failing in January you can be worried."

I went to my room before she could say anything else. Once there I closed the door behind me. She was right that I took some classes more seriously than others, but English was not my best subject, and Mr. Turner had strange teaching methods. Most involving monotonous lectures about things I really don't care about. I could hear my parents talking from the living room; my dad was talking excitedly about something, probably something about his work. I looked around my room for the textbooks I needed the next day, my eyes glancing at the mess on the floor I still didn't feel like picking up. The room was larger than the one I had for most of my life. The year before my brother got married and moved everything out, I moved in the second he was gone. He was very neat so I didn't really have to do any cleaning. Though I'm sure he would have some interesting words for me if he saw what I've done with the place.

In just a few minutes I was in bed, alarm set and backpack packed. And then suddenly my mind wandered back to the sound I couldn't place. I sat there for some time going over those five seconds again in my mind, still to no avail. I thought of wind currents and the way sound travels, but I wasn't too schooled in either so I can't say that I made any breakthroughs. Eventually I drifted off.

The next day wasn't so bad, school was alright, but can tenth grade ever be considered great? I thought about asking Mr. Turner about my grade after class but by that point all I wanted to do was go to lunch. He had just finishing reciting poetry from China, which I'm sure would have seemed great if anybody else was reading them. I didn't see my friends much, but I rarely did on B days. After lunch I sat in study hall contemplating if I should do homework, by the time I decided that I should the bell rang. After school I took my shift at the corner mini mart. It was my first job and not very exciting, or fun, or really memorable at all. Once that was over I wandered back home, taking the long way, I really couldn't find a reason to get there faster. I spent the rest of the day being thankful that the next day would be Friday, making plans for the weekend kept me occupied for the rest of the day. The new homework I acquired sat in a pile next to the homework I still hadn't done for the next day, which in turn was next to a partially started project for history. I still wasn't sure what the assignment had been, but I think whatever I had started was close.

It's not that I didn't like learning, like I said I loved science, it's just that I liked learning on my own time by my own terms. It was hard for me to listen to a teacher when I knew I could just find a book or go online and find the same information. And that was not always good for studying. One reason why I failed my English test was because when I heard what would be on it I looked it up online and got a whole overview, and learned a great deal. The only problem was that the test was much more condensed on specific topics. So basically I could tell exactly what a haiku was and even name some examples, but I did not know the specific ones that we had discussed while I daydreamed. I guess I always could have just looked at the syllabus, but I wasn't sure what I did with it. Science classes were different, even Chemistry, which was what I was taking at the time. In science classes I actually want to listen and learn. And when I look online it's actually to reinforce and not to learn for the first time. I suppose there really is no reason why I don't do well in some classes, as a physicist would say: "It's just the nature of things."

Friday was a better day than Thursday. I sat with my friends at lunch and we discussed trivial things and occasionally threw food at each other, an overall good time. My time at the mini mart was even alright. We had some people get into a fight in the parking lot and I had to call the police, they scattered when they heard the sirens, it was pretty funny to see them suddenly realize what was happening and take flight. The highlight of my day.

Next thing I knew it was Saturday. I went to the mall with the same friends for lunch. We saw a movie, but I'll bet none of us remembered any of it by the time we got home, it was pretty bad. Sunday came and went and then just like that weird sound from Wednesday night, the weekend was over before I realized what had happened. School on Monday meant English, which I was beginning to dread for fear of falling asleep and getting detention.

I didn't see my dad much during this time, except for dinner and sporadically breakfast, he usually was in his room working. My mother was around, she would run errands during the day but other than that she was around the house somewhere. I don't know how she managed without a job. I tried to imagine the life where I really didn't have to be anywhere but I got bored and did some homework instead.

Soon the days were going by and the temperature outside was steadily declining. Every now and then a day would appear that reminded me of spring, but the knowledge that soon it would be cold everyday kept my excitement for warmth to a minimum. I began yearning for something to look forward to, something exciting to happen. I looked for it everywhere. If anything remotely interesting were to happen anywhere I think I would have been fine, my desires fulfilled, but nothing happened. Every day was practically the same, an endless cycle of events that directly mirrored the ones preceding. By the middle of October I was fed up with the monotony, wondering if there was anything I could do to have a more interesting existence in tenth grade. Extracurricular activities were my first stop on the road to excitement.

It just so happened that the next Friday was homecoming against our arch rival; that had to be exciting. Unfortunately the only exciting thing that happened was a huge fight in the fourth quarter. I didn't understand football but I was sure there was a difference between it and wrestling. And I'm also certain that the score of 0-47 is only good in golf. With football struck off my list I tried a club, but that was harder to watch than that football game. I know the basics of chess, but often confused it with checkers. The chess club was not amused when I continually requested more kings. I can't sing so glee club was out. I don't need a stage to act so drama wouldn't cut it. I can't read fast enough for book club and the people who showed up for video game club scared me. Feeling defeated I went back to my jaded life. But I still did not rule out that something interesting could happen. If only I knew what I was wishing for.

Ch. 2

On October twenty-fifth, a Saturday, I was awakened early and told to get dressed. My father wanted to take me on a business trip with him to a conference a hundred miles away. Word in my house was he wanted to introduce something big to his boss. I wasn't sure what that meant, my dad fixed problems with software. How could he be working on something big?

Confused and tired I went downstairs for breakfast. My mother was laying out snacks for our trip while my dad drained a bowl of cereal. I quickly ate, not sure how much time I was going to have before we left; it turned out it wasn't much. Within ten minutes we were loading up the car. We were going to be spending one night in a hotel so we only needed one change of clothes; I brought two just in case. I stuffed mine into a backpack along with a book and a couple of extra snacks.

It was a nice day, warmer than it had been recently, clouds overhead threatened rain. It was a fun trip; we played a license plate game and listened to tapes my dad made years before. Every song was sped up, slowed down, or muffled, which somehow added to the fun of it. Almost exactly two hours later we arrived at the hotel. We dropped our clothes off and my dad changed into an obnoxiously loud yellow shirt, and then we were off. A few minutes later we pulled into the convention center parking lot and my curiosity finally took over.

"What exactly are we doing here?" I asked.

"We are here for the software convention; companies from all over the country come and show off their new software for everybody to see. And I've been chosen as one of the representatives this year, hence the shirt. If I see anything that looks good I have to report it to my boss and then he decides by tomorrow if we need to invest in it."

"So why am I here?"

"I need someone to keep me company; the other two representatives have a lot farther to travel and probably won't be here until tonight, that's when the thing really starts anyway. They wanted me here early so I could meet some people and put in a good word about our business as everyone sets up."

He was right about us being early, by the time we walked in only half of the stations had even started setting up. It was interesting to watch. Huge banners went up about new forms of antivirus software, computers blinked on in every direction, and the place filled with voices as every one of the different companies seemed to know each other and get along great. My dad led the way and we wandered throughout, occasionally helping to steady a ladder or set up a table. And with every stop my dad met new people and wove his business into each conversation so effortlessly it was hard to tell the line between polite chat and work. As more people came it was clear that he would not be able to communicate with even a quarter of the companies, so he gave me a sticker with the name of his work on it and I started heading around looking for people to talk to. I immediately went to the gaming corner and began saying how great my job was, I clearly was not as good with words as my dad. They all looked at me a little strange, but after a while I was playing demos of some new computer game, completely forgetting what I had originally been doing.

Before I knew it the main part of the convention was starting and everyone gathered around a stage in the back as speakers came up and introduced their product. I found my dad with the other representatives, all wearing that hideous yellow, and I quickly took off the sticker, unsure if my dad would get into trouble if any of them saw me wearing it. Right as I was coming up my dad broke away from the group; he saw me and motioned for me to follow.

"Bessie, do you think you could get into the car and – oh, never mind I'll get it."

"Get what?"

"I wanted to show the head of my department something, and he's supposed to be here any minute."

The crowd suddenly erupted in cheer as a new speaker took the stage; I had to yell over the excitement for him to hear me. "What did you bring?" I couldn't remember him bringing anything, or telling me he brought something.

"Look, I'll be back in a minute, keep a lookout for Mr. Lewis for me."

I assumed that must be his boss. "I have no idea what he looks like." I don't think he heard me; he was already through the crowd.

I waited, occasionally listening to what the person said on stage, but so little had any meaning to me. My father's coworkers were starting where he left off; they traveled the crowd introducing themselves, and even handed out pens. My dad came back with something hidden in a trash bag.

"Is that the thing?" I asked, trying my hardest to make out what it was.

"This is it." He said excitedly as he weaved through the crowd looking for his boss. I followed close behind.

"Well, what is it?"

"I have no idea."

"Wait – what?" This took me by surprise. Not only did he have no idea what he was holding, but he was going to show it to his boss, and this was a good thing? My mind suddenly flashed back to the time when he thought that everything needed for time travel could be found in _Back to the Future_. "Don't you think you better find out what it is first?"

"No need, we have people for that."

His excitement was written all over his face, but I did not share in it. "Where did you get it?"

He stopped walking and turned to me. "Do you remember that night when we were – wait, there he is."

I turned to see a short bald man a few feet away in the crowd. My dad ran up to him and began talking in hushed tones. I moved around to get a better view. Mr. Lewis nodded impatiently at whatever my dad was telling him. But just when I thought Mr. Lewis would start telling my dad to shut up, his eyes lit up so fast I thought he was having a fit. He was now very interested. I inched my way forward but only caught the last little bit. "This may be it; this may be the piece that solves the whole thing." My dad was saying. Mr. Lewis grabbed the bag and thanked him over and over again before running out of the crowd. My dad turned to me with a triumphant look.

"That's that, then, isn't it."

"That's what? I still have no idea what's going on."

"Oh, that's all right, if things go as planned then I'll tell you all about it later."

The only question now was how long later would be. It was now night and my father joined up with the other representatives to look at all the new software. I was thoroughly bored by now; especially considering the line to play the game demos was too long for my liking. So instead I waited in the hall outside. There was a food stand and I got an ice cream and sat on a bench near a fountain to eat it. People were moving around, checking out the few stands that had to be set up in the hall because they were late arrivals. I saw some people who were wearing matching outfits just like my dad and his gang were. Each and every one of them had on the most annoying colors imaginable, either because they wanted to find each other, or so that people had to notice them, I wasn't sure which. Time passed much slower in the hall, and every now and then I thought about going back in. At one point a man passed me in a very interesting suit and hat. Despite all of the ugly shirts, his outfit stood out to me the most, which I guess was what he was going for. It wasn't that it was an overly strange outfit; it's just that he was by far the best dressed person there. He nodded to me as he passed. He was probably only ten years older than me, at the most. I had a strange feeling when he passed, but I couldn't place it.

Finally my dad came out, after most of the crowd had already thinned out. His arms were full of souvenirs, which I ended up carrying back to the car. I stuck them in the trunk, and then we were off to the hotel. The entire way back I begged him to tell me what was in the bag he gave to his boss, but each time he simply told me I would have to wait until he found out what it was first.

"But you obviously know something about it." I had said.

"Not really." He had said.

"You must have found it somewhere."

"Didn't I tell you? Oh, well remember that night we – Uggh, this place is packed, we'll never find a spot."

We had just gotten to the hotel, though unfortunately after everyone else from the convention. "At least we already have a room."

"If I ever have to come to one of these again, I hope they pick a city with more than three hotels."

We eventually found a spot in the back, between a car that was over the line and a dumpster, but it was still a parking spot so we were happy. The inside of the hotel looked just like the inside of the convention center. People were milling around talking to other people about the best deals, as if the hotel was just the afterhour's convention. My dad jumped into the fray with a bag of pens. I was too tired to even think about anything but sleep so I went on up to the room. After getting ready I stood at the window, looking out at the great view I had of the hotel across the street. As I was doing this I noticed a strange light somewhere in the distance off to the right of the neighboring hotel. It dropped, moved a little farther to the right, and then picked itself back up again, only to drop once more and start the cycle over again. It was a bright yellow light, and at first I thought it was a plane, but I had never seen a plane move quite like that. I opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the balcony, only to be met with a noise that sounded as if it were right in front of me; it was a humming, low and steady. I had heard it before.

Ch. 3

We got up early the next morning, hoping to make it down to breakfast before everyone else. We were unsuccessful. The place was packed and the first thing I heard was talk of software. I told my dad I was going catch a few more Z's and caught the elevator before it closed. I promised I'd be back before breakfast ended, though I really didn't care as long as I didn't have to hear anymore computer talk. I tried to get back to sleep but could not; my mind had latched onto the strange light of the night before and would not let up. It couldn't be the same thing, could it? If I recall the first thing did not emit any light. The only thing that could connect them was the noise, a low humming that sounded like it could belong to anything electrical, so it really could have been anything. And besides, I was one hundred miles away from where I heard the sound the first time.

Feeling a little unnerved I turned on the television, hoping to find a news story on strange lights. The local channels all were talking about the convention. I didn't realize it was anything that could get news attention, but I guess in a small town like that one it was a big deal. I saw myself in one of the wide shots of the crowd; I was easy to notice since I was standing next to my dad and his coworkers who were all wearing their bright yellow. Having not seen anything about the light I went back downstairs for breakfast.

That day was worse than the one before. My dad stood around all day expecting a phone call from the boss of his boss, the man who was to tell them what to buy. Once again I was in the hall near the fountain, waiting for something to happen. The ideas I had had at home about something exciting happening returned. I sat there in that spot for several hours just thinking about things that were way more interesting than what I was doing. And for the first time I asked myself why my dad would ever want me to come with him. Sure it was fun to get out for a weekend, but what was the point? I could be just as bored at home, and at least there I could wander around the block and not fear getting lost.

When I ran out of money for snacks, all the ones we brought were back at the hotel, I went into the main room to find my dad and ask for more money. I found him playing the same video game demos I had been playing the day before, evidently even he got bored. He didn't notice me at first, too busy blowing up a spider army, so I waited until he was finished and then asked.

"Well actually we are done for the day. The boss decided that nothing here was worth our time, he told us to leave."

"When did he say that? I've been in the hall for hours."

"Is that where you were? I figured you would be around here somewhere so I waited until you returned."

I was annoyed, but also relieved that we could finally go. "So is this it, can we go now?"

"Yep." He thanked the guy at the video game booth and we headed for the exit.

Once back at the hotel we loaded up the car with the few bags we brought and headed home. The trip back was better than the trip there, even if I knew I had school the next day. After some time I asked what had been on my mind since the day before.

"Can you finally tell me what was in that bag yesterday; you know the one you gave to your boss."

There was a pause; at first I wasn't sure if he had heard the question. He just stared out the window at the cornfields we passed. "Do you remember that night we went stargazing?"

"Yes."

"Well, after you got in the car I saw something on the ground, and so I picked it up."

This was not exactly the mysterious answer I had been waiting for. I had imagined that he had built some new kind of microwave in the basement, or even that a divine inspiration gave him blueprints to a new engine. "That's it? You found something on the ground so you gave it to your boss, what exactly was it?"

"Again, I don't know, but it seemed important."

"Can you tell me what it looks like?"

"Yes, I have a picture." He rummaged through his shirt pocket for the picture, pulling out pens and business cards before finally finding it. "Here it is I made copies so I sent one to Mr. Lewis, he liked the look of it so much he came to get it in person. He is the head of the research and development part of the business, and he found it just as interesting as I did."

I took the picture. All I saw was a white rectangular object, perhaps a box. What looked like a chord of some kind was poking out of the side, probably where it connected to something. It was dingy looking and had several dents on it. But despite its plainness, I felt eager just looking at it. As if all my wishes for excitement just came true with this piece of whatever it was.

"Wow," I said, unable to hold back the energy I was now feeling towards the picture, "this is something else, you might be able to figure out what it does."

"That's what I was thinking. Wouldn't it be great if I could?"

"Definitely."

I gave him back the picture, it took several minutes, but after a while the feelings the picture conjured went away, and I was left with a strange sensation I could not quite place. It was as if I had had something pulled out of me, and was feeling the after effects. That's the only way I could think to describe it at the time.

We stopped for dinner at around five at a burger joint we found. The food was alright, nothing special, and then we were off again. The next twenty miles or so was desolate; the highway that led to bigger cities cut across the road somewhere behind us, and with it the lights. I liked it dark; when I was little I always imagined creatures could be standing just off the road. It gave me chills, and I would sink down in my seat with just my eyes above the bottom edge of the window, feeling safe that the creatures couldn't get to me.

Finally lights could be seen ahead. I couldn't wait to get home, with my bed awaiting. Just as I was imagining how the blankets would feel something caught my attention. My dad was grumbling under his breath. I looked over and saw the speedometer shooting up and down, even though we were going at a pretty constant speed.

"It's probably broken." My dad sighed; he hated fixing cars and hated paying to have them fixed even more.

Right after I concluded that everything was all right with the speedometer the whole dashboard started acting up. All the little lights flashed on and off, including the turn signals. Then the headlights started flashing and went off, limiting our view of the road. I sat up straight, telling myself that nothing serious was happening, but it was hard with all the evidence against me.

"This whole thing is busted." My dad groaned.

I couldn't agree more. He pulled over as far as he could; a large ditch was directly off the road. After turning off the ignition he got out and opened the hood. I waited behind, opening my door a little for some air. We sat there for some time, my dad only liked cars when they worked and wanted nothing to do with broken ones, so I doubted he had any idea what he was looking for. Apart from his occasional mumbling we sat there in silence, which I suddenly noticed to be odd. We had been on that road many times to stargaze, almost in that exact same spot on the other side of the road where there wasn't a ditch, and I remembered hearing many bugs. But now, there was nothing, not even the wind dared disturb the stillness. And then it was over, the silence that is, shattered by a now all too familiar noise, a low humming. It came all of the sudden, as if turned on by a great switch somewhere. And worst of all it was growing louder. I jumped out of the car and almost fell into the ditch.

"Do you hear that?"

He looked up from his search of the engine. "Yes, what is that, a plane?"

"I don't think so; I think we need to get out of here." I didn't even bother to hide the desperation in my voice.

"I'm sure it's nothing."

"No, the car freaking out, the noise, this isn't good. It's getting louder lets go."

"Look, I need to find out what happened, if we don't have the lights we can't get home."

At that moment the car revved to life, erasing all doubt that something strange was happening. He closed the hood and ran around to the driver's side, yanking open the door. I followed suit but the passenger's door didn't open. "Unlock the door!"

"I can't." he yelled.

The car lurched forward.

"Where are you going?"

"I can't control it."

Something hit the gas and the car took off down the road, I could see my dad wrestling with the door from the inside to get out, but it was no good. I ran after it, completely baffled, I don't even remember starting to run; I only remember sprinting down the road after the car that was going faster every second. And then I remembered the humming. It was louder than ever and coming from somewhere behind me. All around lights swept over me, reflecting strange patterns and sequences on the pavement.

I was falling, having tripped over something or myself, I don't recall. I hit the ground hard, scraping my arm. It stung, but I didn't think to care at the moment. The lights grew brighter and the humming strengthened its pitch until it was unbearable. I turned over on the road but could hardly see anything. The bright lights were blinding, the noise deafening. And then, right as I was giving up to the possibilities that would surely follow, everything went black.

Ch. 4

I was nothing. Nothing existed. No pain, no memories, no future, no past, no way out, I just _was._ I could not feel my body, wasn't even sure if I still had one. It was as if I was lifted straight out of everything I have ever known, and was alright with it, alright with the fact that I may never be again. That I may just float along in nothingness, and be nothing and it was good. The only thing I was consciously aware of was my mind, some part of it was still working, was processing enough to know that I was in nothingness. I don't know how long it lasted: days, years, only seconds, I have no knowledge. Eventually it ended. I was put back into my own mind, into my own body, and then there was pain. It shot through my ears and into my brain. I couldn't stand it; it felt like someone had just stuck a rod straight into my ears. I tried to scream but was unable to. Then the pain was gone, as if never there.

My eyes opened and everything was blurry. It took some time for things to become clear, and even longer for me to acknowledge the control I had over my limbs. I sat up; everything was dark except for a little strip of light on the floor a few feet away. I wanted to move towards it but was afraid of it, of what it could be. I sat there, groggy, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep, or to wherever I was, but something stopped me. I knew that I needed to stay awake, knew that I was better off conscious. And then all the memories shot through my head, the car, the lights, the humming, and then nothing. What happened after that? How did I get from the road to this place? And most importantly, where was my father? I called to him in the darkness but got no reply. I started to worry. The car had taken off with him inside, it could have done anything, and he would have to hang on. But wait, it already happened, somewhere outside of the darkness I was currently in was my father, dealing with the effects of that night. Was it last night, or one night in the past? And I was here, unable to help, without even an idea of whether or not he was alright. And what would my mother think? I only hope my dad got back to her, then he could explain that something strange happened, and I was . . . was what?

My head hurt, not from the earlier pain, that was gone completely, but from the possibilities that I was somewhere new, a place I have never been and would never be able to escape. My heart began to ache, and I jumped up from what I was sitting on. My fists clenched, I chose not to believe that I was in a situation I could not overcome. I took to pacing the room, too scared and nervous to call out again. I could be anywhere, and anybody could be just behind the door. I took the small strip of light on the floor to be a gap between a door and the floor. My feet echoed strangely, and I took to exploring my environment. The room I was in was much larger than I had originally expected. It was twenty paces from where I originally lay to the wall at my right. Metal tables, like the one I awoke on, were laid out every five feet or so in the center of the room. The back wall was only ten paces from the table, and fifteen away from the door.

The door suddenly slid upwards into the ceiling. The room was flooded with blindingly bright light and I jumped backwards, shutting my eyes as tightly as they would go. It happened so fast I had no time to hide or get back on the table. I tried to open my eyes and see who was there, but I could not keep my eyes open. The only thing I saw was a large shape obscuring some of the light. I heard footsteps coming toward me. Now too frightened, I could not move from my spot. The footsteps stopped. I tried to open my eyes, but could still not see anything.

"So you're up."

I jumped, I had not expected whatever it was at the door to speak, and for some reason I really was not expecting English. A man was talking, he sounded to be no older than forty, but I was a bad judge of age after just hearing someone's voice. It took some time for me to process what the thing, or person, had said, but once it registered I nodded.

"Good, we shall get started right away. We will tell you the circumstances together and let you get to work. I'm sure you are as eager as we are to begin."

"Begin what?" I said, my voice squeaking slightly from nerves. I could finally open my eyes a little. The man was directly in the path of the light. I could not see him clearly.

We will all tell you momentarily, for now you can follow me." He left the room and I followed. I took a look back to see where I had been. It was just a large room with metal tables, just as I had thought, nothing special at all. I hurried behind him, so many thoughts begged for space in my brain, but none of them formulated into actual questions for me to ask. The hallway we were in was brightly lit from the ceiling. The walls were white. The only interesting thing was the man in front of me. It was clear he wasn't from anywhere I had ever been, either that or he did not own a mirror. He had tried to put on a suit but had failed badly. The shirt and jacket were backwards, facing me rather than the door up ahead. His tie was knotted correctly, but was around his upper right arm instead of his neck. His pants were actually worn correctly, but his belt was wrapped around his upper left arm. And to top it all off he was only wearing one shoe, causing him to limp slightly as he walked. I mentally scratched _secret government lab_ off my list and moved on to what was next. I had a strong feeling of where I was, or at least what I was in, but kept it from my brain. We came to the door at the end of the hall.

"I will see if they are ready for you."

"Where am I? Where is my father?" I asked desperately.

He looked at me, a little confused. "All will be explained momentarily."

He knocked on the door and it opened. He disappeared inside and reappeared a minute later. "They are ready."

He held the door open, and I passed into the room.

Having no ideas as to where I was or what I was doing there, I can't say that the size of the room was much of a shock. It was very large nonetheless. On the far wall was a long table with at least twenty people sitting at it. They were all dressed in what looked like t-shirts of different colors; the table blocked what else they were wearing. The walls were all painted brown, making the room look much darker than it really was. I took a seat in a lonely wooden chair in the center of the room, facing the long table. All the people were adults, some of them rather old, especially the man directly across from me; he had to be at least one hundred.

"If member Miggins would please join us we will begin." The voice came from one of the people off to my right. The man who led me in went up to the table and sat in a chair just to my left. "If everything is in order we shall now begin."

At that moment all of the people at the table leaned in close and started whispering to each other. Their voices echoed horribly through the room and I was certain that there were now people behind me whispering as well. Then all at once they stopped. "We have decided to start from the beginning, so you can follow more closely." This new voice belonged to a short woman sitting to my right.

"Wait a minute," I said, "Where am I?"

They chose to ignore my question. "Ten years ago our nation of Hurdeen came under attack from the barbaric regions to the north, collectively called the Terror Bringers. We resisted, and they let us alone for a while. Our people celebrated thinking that it was the end of our worries. While gone the Terror Bringers conquered more lands. We were afraid, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they came down to attack us. But they never came, they knew that we would fight back and so they conquered more to the north. A few weeks ago we got word that they were finally going to invade, and now they are nearly unstoppable, controlling all of the north. And that is why you are here; we need you to stop it."

I had no idea what I was listening to. It didn't make any sense to me. And worst of all I now knew that I was no longer on Earth. "Stop what?"

They ignored this as well. "We believe that they will attack in two weeks. For the next two weeks you will be training, and then it will start."

I was more confused than ever, but it continued.

"If you have any questions Miggins will assist you, and remember if you have any secret weapons or abilities, save them for the enemy."

Secret weapons and abilities? What did that mean, who did they think I was? "I think you have me confused with someone else, someone stronger."

The ancient man directly ahead spoke. "No, our sources say that you are the one. Perhaps you don't yet know of your true strength. Or perhaps you have not yet found the courage to proceed; you shall find it in the next two weeks. Now, off to train."

"Wait!" I shouted, "I have no information on what I am supposed to be doing, and nobody has told me where I am or where my father is."

The old man turned to Miggins and whispered something to him. He nodded and came down from the table over to me. "Miggins here will explain everything." The people at the table all got up and disappeared through doors hidden in the wall behind them.

I wanted to scream, my anxiety had built to such a degree and mixed with confusion and anger over not being listened to. I followed Miggins out. His bizarre outfit didn't even make me feel better. Once in the hall I was about to snap.

"What is this? Who are those people? Who are you? Where am I?"

I asked a few more things with more expressive language. Miggins waited until I was finished before starting. "I do not have as many answers as you would like. First let me tell you that after you help us we will send you back . . ." he said something else under his breath that I didn't catch. "But you must first help us."

"Alright," I said, more calmly but still with a hint of annoyance, "I will help you, but first I need to know what it is you want me to do. I heard something about northern people and then something about an invasion. Who is getting invaded?"

"We are, and we need you to stop it."

For the first time it sunk in. "How am I supposed to do that?!" I was once again in hysterics. "Something about powers . . . do you think that I have powers? Because if you do, you're nuts."

He looked taken aback. "You don't have any abilities? But I thought that you all did?"

"Who all did?"

"Your people."

"You mean Earthlings?"

"No that other one . . . humans. You are human aren't you?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"You're confusing me."

I was confusing him? I was the one who was probably light-years from home being told to stop an invasion. "I think we need to try this over again, from the beginning."

"Yes, very good idea. Follow me."

He led me down a different hallway then the one we came down earlier. It twisted and turned until it ended at large double doors. We entered and found ourselves in what looked like a small hotel lobby. Everything was a dark brown, from the couches to the walls, and even the desk. Miggins and I passed everything to a tight spiral staircase near the back wall. The stairs ran out on the third floor, we followed yet another hallway to the end and entered through a curtain hung from the ceiling. Inside sat a bed, and a chair, with a small washroom off to the side.

"Guest chambers." He said brightly.

It was a little smaller than most hotel rooms I had stayed in and the privacy was lacking with just the curtain, but it was still very nice. "Do I stay here?"

"During training? Yes."

"Now will you tell me the whole story?"

"Ah, yes, let me begin." He took a seat on the chair and I sat on the bed. "As the council said, it all started ten years ago when the Terror Bringers, they are the ones living in the north, started attacking us. Usually they wouldn't bother because they know we would fight back, but for some reason they decided to."

"Wait, why are they called Terror Bringers?"

"That goes back to our ancient past, our ancestors gave them that name when battles were frequent between the two societies."

"Oh, ok."

"So anyway they attacked us and we actually won. Our nation has never been one to fight; we'd rather spend time inventing things. But we did win, and they backed off. Shortly afterward we got news that they were fighting with the neighboring tribes to the north, they were nowhere as big as the Terror Bringers, so it wasn't too much of a fight. This continued, and once it was over we kept on expecting them to come back sooner, but they never did."

"Why not?"

"No one knows, not even today. They conquered more land to the north, creating the largest empire in the world. And then, just half a month ago, or two weeks to you, they sent a message that they were going to invade, it didn't make any sense. Why now? The council did not know what to do, and so they decided to use the Tekogoly to find someone who could help."

"The what?"

"The Tekogoly, we were told that is what you called new inventions where you are from."

"Close enough. Who created it?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "I was not an assistant to the council when it happened so I only know the stories."

"It would be nice if I knew the stories too."

"They say that the inventor was out of his mind, but he invented many useful things. And then he created the Tekogoly, about twenty years ago, and began to disappear for months at a time. Nobody knew what he made or where he went, only thing the council knew was that the place he went to was great, much better than here. It had everything anybody could ever want, and more. The people were stronger, the food better, and the advancements unbelievable. In the stories he told to the council the hero's always won, and the brave were always fearless. And then he was exiled. I never found out why, all I know is that he wanted to do something crazier than usual, and possibly dangerous. It took time to figure out how the Tekogoly worked; as it was so near to him he never bothered telling anybody else how to use it. But in the end, and not too long ago, someone figured it out, just in time to, because that is when we went looking for you. It took several tries but we finally got you here, and now we sit here and talk about it."

I had to process everything, and so I sat there on that comfortable bed thinking it over. When it finally started making sense I asked the question that I wanted to know the answer to most of all. "Why me?"

"As far as I know, and I don't know much about the council's decisions, they needed any human."

"You said they went looking for me."

"I meant that as in, 'they went looking for a human' not 'they went looking for you specifically'."

"I still don't get why you think I can help."

"Because you are a human."

"Which means?"

"Didn't you hear me, you're stronger, able to win battles, have powers."

"Humans have powers?"

"Yes." He said slowly, questioning his certainty.

"That's news to me."

"You mean you don't?"

"I mean that if we had special powers I think I would know."

"Perhaps you just haven't found yours yet. The stories say that powers sometimes come late."

"Are these stories written down by any chance?"

"Why yes, they were all transcribed and now rest in the archives for all to see."

"Could you take me there sometime?"

"First thing in the morning if you like, right before training."

"That sounds good."

It was evidently night now. We said our goodbyes and he left. I sat in the same spot on the bed for quite a while, thinking over everything. I sorted all of the information into mental columns, from needing to remember, down to not necessary. This helped me reflect on what I heard, but some of the things were just too bizarre to actually fit into my head comfortably. Aliens were real, and not just real, but they really could travel around the universe. But why Earth? If this planet has so many people then why didn't they pick a different planet? I didn't realize it at the time, but sometimes there is no answer for "why me?" type questions. I could just as easily ask, "why not me?" It made little difference. What mattered now was that I was on a different planet where . . . English, they all speak English, or wait! No, they put something in me, some sort of translator, that's why I felt pain before waking.

I had thought once or twice about aliens, but what I learned that day was so different, so amazing, that I was forced to believe in many things I didn't think possible. Maybe time travel is possible, or inter-dimensional travel, maybe every galaxy has a few planets with people-looking beings. That would mean an infinite number of civilizations as this one or my own. And to think Earthlings can hardly stand each other sometimes, imagine what would happen if they found out about this? The Hurdeens, or whatever they are called, must be new at space travel; they don't seem to really know much about Earth, seeing as they think humans have powers. How am I supposed to break it to them that I don't? By the time I felt tired enough to go to sleep, all I could think about was reading the stories of Earth. My father entered my thoughts right before I nodded off, and I knew then that I would be seeing him again soon. All I had to do was help stop an invasion, it sounded tough, but at that moment between consciousness and dreams, I felt like I could do anything

.

Ch. 5

I woke early, I'm not sure what time, I didn't have a watch, and I wasn't sure if time works the same way as it does on Earth. For a while I stared at the ceiling, unsure of where I was. At first I thought I was back at the hotel, about to go to the convention. And then I thought I was home. I almost jumped out of bed upon realizing that I could be late for school. But the patterns on the ceiling were different from both the hotel and home, and then I remembered, as I would recall a bad dream, all the events of the previous day. I closed my eyes hoping that everything would just go away and my room would return. No luck. I sat up, feeling dazed but well rested. There was a whooshing sound and Miggins stood before me. He had a ceramic bowl that he handed to me.

"You steel this to?" I asked, referencing his clothing choice. He wore a Beatles t-shirt and mesh shorts (backwards) from a high school football team I had never heard of.

"I never stole them, they were in a large collection that Dimitrius brought back years ago."

"Who?"

"That's the man who built the Tekogoly."

"Did he bring anything else back?"

"Oh, many things."

"One question, how did he make something that could make it all the way to Earth?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask him."

"I doubt that will happen, since he's exiled."  
"Yes, but maybe you can go out there sometime."

"Will you get in trouble?"

He looked back toward the curtain, "I think you should be allowed to see the person who is responsible for you being here. And I also need to speak to him."

"If he's exiled, who piloted the Tekogoly?"

There was a long pause while he thought of a response. I looked into the bowl, it was filled with a greenish something that reminded me of yogurt. It was actually very good, but I don't believe I ever got the name or ingredients of the stuff. He finally answered. "I piloted it." He said timidly.

"You did? And why did you happen to choose me?"

"Well, you were the first person I saw, that one night when you were on that metal contraption. I looked for you for days – since you were the first person I saw I decided you would be the one." He added quickly. "After several tries I found you again. You were being carried away by the metal beast, and so I really saved you."

"We were not in any danger, that was a car, and you told it to drive off with my dad, didn't you?"

"I thought I was only able to save one of you."

"It doesn't matter now, I'm sure he's fine, and I'll be back with him after I stop this invasion, right?"

"Right."

I finished the green stuff and we left the room. I would have killed for a brush, but apparently nobody in Hurdeen cares about their hair. The rooms were meant for guests of the capital, called Yim. Miggins tells me all sorts of things, about the past, and about the present as we walk along, and climb stairs, go down stairs, and even go through walls where doors are carefully hidden. By the time we get to the archives I am overflowing with information, most of which I forget instantly. One thing that did stick with me is that there are four provinces in Hurdeen, and we were in Yim, named for the capital, the one that Dimitrius lives in is mostly abandoned, and has been for hundreds of years. It is now mostly occupied by those who are exiled.

The archives are in a small room about a mile away from the room I stayed in. Wooden crates hold everything anyone in Hurdeen could care about. Miggins gets one from up high and hands it to me. It is considerably smaller than the others. I went to the lone table in the room and start looking through it. All the stories are written on cloth, entirely in symbols that I have never seen before. It would have been the same if somebody had handed me Linear A to read. Luckily Miggins reads this language so he read them out loud.

He put on his glasses, two circular magnifying glasses that had a strap around his head, and began to read. It might have been the glasses magnifying his eyes, the stories themselves, or the stress of the moment, but something about that situation made me have to try really hard to not break out laughing. I think it was a combination of the three, but mostly the story, which was titled _American Civil War_. And let's just say it was nothing like how I remembered the Civil War from History class.

"It started over one hundred years ago in the Opposing World. A nation split in half by their differences, forced to fight to the death in glorious fields around the country. The generals of the North, having been beaten early, called upon the Jedi (a type of super warrior) to defend the capital from their own Terror Bringers from the West. The Jedi used the force (an outward power) to crush the sith (evildoers). The battles waged for fifty years, before the sith brought the moon crashing down. The Jedi called upon four giants to hold up the moon while Lalvadort, (leader of the sith) came in and fought Jedi master Lincoln. Their one-on-one fight lasted for many weeks as they displaced the ground under them. Finally, backs against the wall, Lincoln leveled up, and with new golden hair, defeated Lalvadort once and for all. . ."

I couldn't speak. By this point I was no longer trying not to laugh as much as remember every detail for a possible future in stand up. I am not sure how this Dimitrius guy could possibly get that much information wrong. He must have gotten the real world confused with the movies. And Miggins was not even done yet.

"This particular story is just about that war, this is mainly the summarized version that was written down using his notes as a guide. There is another in here that's even better, again another summarized one. Oh, here it is. Let's see, the events in this one are more current, it was the last one he told, so it was about ten years ago, shortly before being exiled. It talks about how the fourteen year olds have to go on a journey across a desert, which I think is stupid, but they're your customs not mine. I'm sure if I tell you more stories about here you'll be bound to think some are stupid. Ah, here is my favorite part. It says you have a leader that's a plant . . . that's really neat. Your people must have translators like we do. And then there's . . . yes yes, here -- look here."

"I can't read that, remember?"

"Oh, yes, sorry. It says that when a person turns eleven they get a letter, and they go to a school to develop superpowers. And by that I assume it means powers beyond normal beings, not that you can all fly or something. So that's it, it says it right there. And none of it is true?"

"Well," I said slowly, not wanting to burst any bubbles, "it's just that those stories are not exactly accurate. Did you see anybody with superpowers when you were on Earth?"

He thought for a second, "I saw your dad controlling the metal contraption. And I saw people rising high into the air in towers larger than anything I had ever seen."

"That's not super, that's ordinary."

"For you it's ordinary. It must have been that Dimitrius thought it was super. But he sure did spend a lot of time there to get so confused in the end. That must have led to his exile."

"I'm still not sure I understand why he was exiled."

"His inventions did not meet the code of the council, which states that anything they do not like shall not be built or even designed, the only reason they let him do it for so long was because they wanted him to bring something back that could help them defeat the Terror Bringers if it came to a fight."

"And he didn't?"

"Is he still here?"

"I guess not."

"That's enough of this, let's get you to training. We only have thirteen more days before they arrive."

"What kind of training?"

"Oh, you'll find out."

I didn't like the malevolent gleam in his eye, but I trusted him to not let me look like a complete idiot when it was my time to fight, or hopefully my time to tell other people what to do. That was my plan at this point. To suddenly decide that my power was planning, that way I wouldn't get killed and the council could believe that they made a wise choice by kidnapping me. And then in just over two weeks I would be home with stories that nobody would believe. As far as actually planning the fights, I figured I had learned enough in history classes over the years, plus I once read a lengthy magazine article about great generals and how they thought and processed everything when it came time to shine. I took the "can you be a general" quiz and got high marks, not that that equaled real world experience, but I figured it was better than nothing.

We left the archives for the training area which was out in the open, three stories above the archives, and I finally got to see what the world looked like. To my surprise it did not look any different than Earth, same color sky, same air, same cool fall breezes; it didn't dawn on me that I may not be able to breathe until I was already outside for several minutes. For a second I wondered if I was really still on Earth, just a small part of some government conspiracy, or some kind of reality show, that all went away when I remembered the humming, the car acting up, and the bright lights coming down on me.

The training area was a large dirt tract, rimmed with a high red wooden fence. Various types of equipment lay about. Miggins took me around and told me what to do. I recognized some of the things around, including weights, jump ropes, and shot-puts. He seemed to think the jump ropes were whips. We started there, hitting each other with the plastic ends of the ropes; it hurt, but was actually kind of fun. If anybody else was around I might have been less inclined to really go at it, but with just MIggins I felt comfortable with it all. We moved on to something unfamiliar. A metal pole stuck out of the ground, another pole stuck out of one side of that one, ten feet up, parallel to the ground. The objective was to climb to the top, but each time I touched the second pole it began to twist around very fast making it impossible to climb up without being hit with the spinning pole. I gave up after several minutes and moved on.

After an hour I had tried everything, and had the bruises to show for it. I was tired, hungry, and overheated, wanting nothing more than to have more green stuff and sit underground where it was cool. Fortunately we went in for lunch after a while. We had a salad, of sorts, complete with some kind of animal hair which they claimed was healthy, but after fifteen years of avoiding hair in my food it took some convincing. The only thing on the schedule after lunch was a meeting with the council; they wanted to see how much progress I had made in my one day.

One the way there I got to asking Miggins some things. "So what are some differences between here and Earth?"

"The Opposing World seems so much better," he said dreamily, "but there are some nice things about Hurdeen. We have great weather for instance; it gets cold, but not as bad as the north. And we have a caring council who oversees everything and makes sure that we all get along. They take care of everything; they even make sure we are all used to our fullest."

"The council does that, how?"

"They assign us our jobs; do you think that I would be an assistant to them if I had been left to choose on my own? I probably would have been a baker like my dad, not that there is anything wrong with that of course."

"This council sounds a bit like they are using communism."

"What's that?"

It was weird for him to be asking the questions. "It is as you described the council, deciding things for you instead of letting you decide them."

"Yes, but like I said, do you think I would be here if it wasn't for them?"

"I don't know, but imagine if they had chosen something else, something you didn't like. What then?"

He nodded. "I see what you mean, I have a friend who is on the disposal team; they take care of trash. I don't think I would have wanted that."

We entered the council chamber and the conversation dropped. I didn't know what to think of the council; sure they had been nice to me, besides stealing me away. By the time the council came in, fashionably late like a bunch of high schoolers going to a football game, I had no ill feelings toward them whatsoever.

Once again I sat in the lone wooden chair in the center of the room, being stared upon by faces on the high bench that stretched so far away in each direction. There were so many of them, it was hard to focus in on who was most important, if any. I think it was the old guy directly in front of me, but I could have been wrong. They once again wore their long colored shirts, which I took to be their official uniforms. This time I could see that they all wore black pants underneath the shirts.

Nobody said anything; they all just stared, waiting for me to start. Miggins, who remained at my side this time, squeezed my shoulder. I wished we had worked on nonverbal communications in the training area. Finally I started by telling them all about what we did in training. I was nervous and they made me speak louder until I was practically yelling. When I was finished they continued to stare me down. There was silence for a while. I was beginning to get angry and refused to say anymore. Ten or so minutes passed before Miggins took me away. He went back in to speak alone with the council, leaving me alone in the hall. In no time he was back at my side, leading me away. I didn't know where we were going, but I really didn't care.

"What was that about?" I complained once we were safely out of earshot.

"They wanted to see how much you learned."

"By staring at me? They could have at least asked questions."

"They seemed happy with your progress, and most importantly they approved our going to the Forgotten Lands. I did not tell them that we were going to see Dimitrius; that would not have gone over well."

"Why did you want to see him again?"

"I just need to talk to him about some things."

"I thought you said you never knew him."

"I didn't but I need to -- Oh, never mind, it's not important."

Miggins decided it would be best to leave first thing in the morning, so I went to bed early that day. He got everything ready while I slept. When I awoke he was setting up what I would bring. A bag, with shoulder straps thankfully, similar to the backpack I used for school. It was packed with food, water, and even a blanket. I got dressed while he went back to his room to get ready. I had a white shirt, brown pants, and a brown jacket, all too big, but I figured it was the style for travel because he came back wearing something similar, except with a dark blue jacket. He gave me a small dagger just in case, and a case to match that I wore on my belt.

Before I was aware of what I was doing I was leaving my little room and the underground labyrinth and stepping into the early morning darkness. The air was warm with a chill breeze. We started walking westward, away from where the first lights of dawn lightened the darkness. I could see what I believed to be a forest up ahead. Not much else was visible. Miggins moved with a purpose, looking behind him every few feet. This made me feel uneasy, and it only got worse when he exclaimed "Shoot!" I turned back. Dark figures were heading toward us from the entrance to the underground, hidden away on the side of a small hill. He stopped me, holding my shoulders and speaking very fast.

"I was afraid this would happen. You will need to go on alone," he silenced my protest, "You can do this, just go straight through the forest and you will come to a house. The person there will be able to guide you from there."

"Why aren't you coming?"

"I think the council wants you to do this on your own. Here, take this," he placed a floppy scroll of cloth in my hand, tied together with a string, "Give this to Dimitrius and tell him to write his answers on the backside. You can do this, remember this is only training." His last words were not reassuring.

The figures reached us. One of them spoke. "The council requests that the girl go on her own, you are needed for a meeting today."

He pushed me in the direction of the forest. I did not even say goodbye, but walked on, brave. I could hear him arguing with the people, but in the end I saw him go back into the underground with them.

Ch. 6

The woods were dark, creepy, foreboding, and overall not very inviting. I could still hear Miggins arguing, and knew I had to get deeper in so they could not call me back as well. All noise ceased with just a few steps in. The trees blocked out all noise and sight, I was blind to the world around me. To say I stumbled is an understatement, I flat out fell several times, bruises and cuts added to the ones already healing. The further in I went the denser the foliage, but the first rays of the sun were creeping through the trees and I could finally see where I was going.

I wondered why MIggins would send me on such a dangerous mission alone, unless he believed it really was safe. By this point I just went with it, truly believing that my involvement in the forth coming fight would get me home. And I remember that there was still a small part of me that was resisting the facts at hand. It was a fact that I was somewhere new, that my family and friends could not help me out of it, and that I was needed by a humanlike species to stop, or fight in, an impending invasion. Yet even with this knowledge I still wanted to believe that it was all a lie, all made up inside my head. I might have been in a coma and never known it. There are stories where people go on wild adventures while in a coma, I've even read some, though I believe that the ones I read were fiction, but either way it was a possibility.

The forest grew friendlier with every step, the sun continued to rise, its light continued to increase and through it all I was imperious to the fear that should have been present. I stumbled along through the trees in a half aware state of mind, focusing most of my thoughts inward on my predicament and on the ways that I could help the Hurdeen. I was so preoccupied I almost missed the first animal to cross my path. Directly ahead, some fifty yards away, stood a Doe. My first reaction was to blink wildly, making sure that every time my eyes reopened it was still there, and it was. How could it be? How could another planet, light-years from home possibly have the same wildlife? Unless Dimitrius brought it, that would explain it. I stuck with this theory, but two others entered my head. The first one being that I really was in a coma, and that Hurdeen was merely a state of my own subconscious, and that the Terror Bringers were nothing more than an idea, that I had to fight with to discover my true self. And it made sense; I recalled one of the council members saying that I needed to find my power, or a cleverly derived trick my mind was playing so that I would "discover" my true potential. My other theory was that a divine creator really did create the entire universe and populated planets similarly. This conclusion would make my mother, a devout Christian, happy, and it sounded alright with me.

All this went through me in a matter of seconds, and in this time the Doe had spotted me. We both stared directly in each other's eyes, neither of us wanting to move. Back home a deer would run if a human got too close, but I could not be sure if the same was true for their Hurdeen counterparts. I took a step forward; it fled noisily through some shrubbery. For a while I stayed where I was, looking for more explanations, none came. Perhaps I was just blowing everything out of proportion. The animal could have just looked like a deer; it might have been something entirely different. I really didn't get a close up look. But deep down I knew that it was a deer, very much the same as one back on Earth, and with its appearance, everything changed once again.

I don't know how long I stood there, contemplating the rarity of life, and to a greater extent similar life on other planets, but when I moved again a fleeting wave of paralyzing shock coursed through me. There was a person directly to my right, and I had only just noticed them. They had sprung up without warning; I waited for a blow, a strike, and my body to fall to the ground. Several seconds later I was still waiting, moving my eyes ever so slowly to get this stranger clearer in my vision. They were taller than me, and wearing mostly black with a lighter color, possibly white up the middle.

"Hello Bessie."

Another shock, they, he judging by the voice, knew my name. I turned slowly to take in his entire form; I was not prepared for what I saw. It was a man, probably in his mid twenties. He wore a nice suit: black pants and jacket, white shirt, gray vest, fingerless gloves, a black tie, intricately patterned with silver, and a black fedora to top it all off. He was obviously more schooled in Earth clothing then Miggins. There was a pleasant look to him, as if perpetually content of the world around him. I noticed light brown hair under his hat. His eyes were fixed to me as he waited patiently for me to respond.

"H-hello." I finally sputtered.

"That was a deer you just saw." He said with a hint of wit.

"Who are you?"

He just stared at me with a slight smile.

"Where did you get those clothes? Do you know Dimitrius?"

No change in his face.

"Are you there?"

I suppose he didn't want to talk to me after all. I started away from him, fearing that he might be dangerous. When I was a few feet on he spoke again.

"If you are planning on going anywhere you might want to be on the path."

I looked back, he was pointing to something a little ways away. I looked but could not see what he was pointing at. I went in that direction and sure enough a dirt path was right beyond some bushes. He came onto the path with me.

"My name is Poiye."

"Nice to meet you, how did you know my name?"

Same stupid smile.

"Are you ever going to answer me?"

Still nothing.

"I guess not."

He came in close. "I don't answer questions, only statements."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't need to."

"Well, it would be nice if it did. So if I can't ask you any questions then . . . um . . . I am going the right way." I pointed down the path.

"That way will take you out, and get you to the house you are seeking."

"You sure do know a lot, we both know Miggins, and he told you to come check on me, on my way to Dimitrius, who you know."

"You accuse me of a lot," he said, more serious than before, "I do not know a Miggins, or a Dimitrius."

"But you must, how else would you know my name and about the path? Come to think of it I don't think that Miggins ever knew my name."

The usual smile returned when I asked the question.

"You can be annoying." I muttered.

"If I was you, I would hurry to the house before night, the person you seek might not be there if you arrive too late."

"Because you are the person I want to find."

"I must be going, but do not fret, we will meet again, I promise."

The events of the previous few days were nothing compared to what happened next. Poiye, who was standing close, his smile in place, began to fade out. At first he was in perfect clarity, and then began to blur, to grow fainter every second until he was gone and nothing remained. I don't recall the exact thoughts that must have been racing through my mind at that exact moment, but I must have been thinking how I had just witnessed a true act of impossibility. This Poiye was a strange character, although I found a certain safety in his presence that lasted after he vanished. I hoped that he would be back; there were things I wanted to say to him.

At some point, a long while later, I came back to myself and started down the dirt path through the forest, to an unknown destination. The trail curved and wound, but overall stayed in the same general direction, going deeper into the trees. Hours passed, not unkindly as the day was not as hot as the previous one. The real trouble was that a long walk such as that one works up a mighty appetite. The bag Miggins had given me was full of all kinds of strange food, and most was very good; the only problem was that I ate most of what was in there in a matter of minutes. He may not have known the amount of time it would take to get to Dimitrius, and thought just a little bit of food would be enough. I didn't panic, figuring that I would soon get to the house he had described outside of the forest, and get more food there. I wasn't sure if the house was supposed to be in the forest, or just outside. I hoped that either way it would be easy to spot.

While traveling along I felt numb, the actuality of the environment had finally started to sink in, but it was nowhere near complete, it would take a long time for me to truly believe anything that was happening. If the disappearance of Poiye did anything for me at the time, it was to show that reality can sometimes be just as amazing, and odd, as fantasy. Before that everything that I knew came straight from a credible source, and could be reasoned out to be correct. I had just entered a time in my life when my eyes, instead of my brain, were going to teach me more than I could have ever imagined.

Ch. 7

The forest ended of a sudden, being replaced by a dirt road with fields all around. An occasional tree lined the road to the left, while the right stood completely bare. This road curved ever so slightly and I could follow it with my eyes for almost a mile before it shrank off to the left. The sun beat down unrelenting on my face and I wished to no end that I had sunglasses. The day was waning; the sun setting just off to my right. There wasn't much time until it was back to complete darkness, and I had no intention of trying to find my way through that again, as it seemed that there were no street lights in Hurdeen. This determination added quickness to my step, as I tried my hardest to find the house I was looking for.

It is strange how wide open places can hide things better than trees in a forest. Not even half a mile away from the woods I stumbled upon the house up on the left. It was a very nice little house, no different than those on Earth, many things look like they had been influenced by what Dimitrius found on Earth, even if it did for some reason get him exiled. Fragrant and colorful flowers sat on one side, a fenced in yard on the other. Whoever lived in that house must be very tidy, not one shutter or blade of grass looked out of place.

I can honestly say I was anticipating a warm welcome from a pleasant family, or an elderly man who was an adventurer in his youth, ready to let me in on the secrets to stopping invasions. I can also honestly say that I was shocked when the door opened. Who--or what was standing before me was a grizzled looking old woman with long disheveled hair sticking out in all possible directions. She wore a long shirt down to her knees, and while I don't want to assume, that may have been all she was wearing. I took one look at her paranoid eyes and wished I could run back to the woods.

The woman grabbed the door and groaned loudly, as if I was some sort of terrifying monster, and then grabbed me, pulling me into her home. Looks can be very deceiving. While the outside looked warm and welcoming, the inside was anything but. The smell of rotting meat met my nose and I could not breathe. From what I saw of the inside it was dark, all the furniture, which looked as if they could have been at one time lovely to use, were deteriorating, with stuffing and padding all over the floor. She dragged me out back and I spent the first few seconds catching up on my breathing. Something heavy landed in my hands and I lunged forward, trying not to drop it. It was a small cannon, or maybe better described as a wide barreled gun. Swiftly she straightened me back up, and pointed the cannon at some bushes at the edge of the yard.

"It's coming." She said through a relatively nice voice for someone so odd and smelly.

"What is?" I asked, not really wanting the answer.

"It—it is coming, it always comes at this time, but I never get it in time. You . . . you came at the perfect time, you can get it."

I looked into her crazy eyes. "What are you talking about?"

She turned my head in the direction of the bushes. "Be at the ready to fire!"

"I don't know how."

"There!" she screamed.

A small animal had come out of the bushes and stepped through holes in the ground I took to be where she had missed last time. It looked like a squirrel, except it had a small flat platypus like tail, and longer ears. I was so shocked and nervous from the woman that when she yelled 'there' I fired the mini cannon. I'm not sure how I did it, but a little cannonball came zooming out and blew a new hole next to the rest, just to the left of the animal, which ran back into the bushes and out of sight.

"You missed it!" the woman yelled, taking the cannon from me and shooting a few more holes into the ground and bushes. When all the cannonballs were gone she dropped the weapon and sighed deeply. "Well, there's always tomorrow."

"Excuse me," I started, trying to pretend that nothing had just happened, "I was told by a Miggins that you might help me find Dimitrius."

She looked at me as if for the first time, and it could have been. "Dimitrius eh? Miggins told you to come? Where is he?"

I told her about how Miggins was called back when we were leaving and gave her the message he gave me. She looked it over and her eyes widened with surprise. She looked at me with much more interest. When she handed me back the message I tried to read it but found it was in their language. I had an idea as to what it said, but I hoped that he would not write too much information about me, but then again it was for Dimitrius and I gave it to somebody else first. In hindsight it was probably not the best move.

"Yes I will tell you how to get to Dimitrius, but first you need to tell me what you are doing here."

"I already did."

"You know what I mean."

I hesitated, everything I knew of this woman was not having her add up very well in my eyes, but Miggins trusted her, and besides she already knew a lot from my foolishness of giving her the message. "The leaders of Hurdeen want me to stop an invasion of Terror Bringers from the north."

I probably sounded too nonchalant about the whole thing, since I was involved after all, and her face showed the angst that mine wasn't. At first I thought she might have a fit the way her breathing grew shallow and she stumbled backward. "An invasion, it's really happening?"

"As far as I know." I tried to add a little worry to my voice.

She calmed down, "But it's alright, you're here. You have a power to stop them?"

"No, I don't, I don't know why Dimitrius told those stories, but that's not true at all."

She went back to her fit. I waited patiently for her to settle down, occasionally looking around, seeing if the little squirrel-like animal would show itself again. Finally she calmed down. "Are you sure you don't have powers? Maybe their late."

"I'm positive, everything he told you was from fictional sources, I'm sorry."

"But you will help?"

"Yeah, I have to; they said I can't go home until I help stop the invasion. But I am not going to worry too much, I'm sure we can figure something out before it happens."

"You are very optimistic." She chuckled; it seemed that my calmness was rubbing off on her.

"Now all I need is to find out where Dimitrius lives and I'll be on my way."

"Don't you want to stay for the night; it's starting to get dark?"

While I was extremely tired, I could not think of a worse place to sleep then in that rancid smelling house. "No thanks, I really must be on my way."

"Oh, alright, but I will give you something that may help you." Without another word she ran inside, leaving me in the growing darkness out back.

The air was growing cooler with occasional wind, not unlike the nights at home. The similarities between the two worlds were so eerie. I was beginning to lean towards my theory that all inhabited planets were made from the same mold. Though that would mean a deity, and that was something I had not fully wanted to accept yet. But it was beginning to be too much for doubt with each new similarity. I had to believe something, I wasn't the type of person who could go through life without any belief system, I was just slow in finding mine. I went to church for years but as I got older I no longer wanted people to tell me how to believe, I wanted to figure it out for myself. And that is when my personal journey began, though it didn't go anywhere until I arrived in Hurdeen. It remained internal as I didn't even know where my thoughts would take me, but it had begun, and I knew that by the time I got home I would be just a little bit different in my beliefs, and that was alright.

I waited out there for a while, not wanting to go inside after her for fear of the smell. As I was analyzing the mini cannon she came back out, carrying a backpack similar to the one I had on, except in red. "Here, put this on, it has more of what you need."

The backpack I had on was fine with me, but I figured I could use a new one since mine was almost out of food. She would not let me look inside it, insisting that the correct time for that would come later, and she refused my request for moving the small blanket Miggins had packed to the new bag. I accepted in the end, though hesitantly. The awkward strangeness of this woman made me question the content of the bag, but I knew she had good intentions.

"Thank you very much, um . . . what's your name?"

"Angeela." she said sweetly.

"So what can you tell me? Miggins said you can help me find Dimitrius."

"Yes, yes, alright, what you need to do is . . ." She shot a quick glance toward the bushes, and after realizing that the squirrel thing was not there, continued. "You need to get back on that road you were just on, and from there you need to walk until you come to a town. There are four ways to -- Are you listening?"

I had glanced over to the bushes again. I quickly nodded and she went on.

"Four ways to leave, what you want to do is go out of the eastern road, which will be the one on your right from the town square. About a mile down that path you will come to a fork in the road, take the left one, heading north. After that just keep walking until you get to Dimitrius."

"So left at the fork?"

"That is what I just said."

"Thank you, I guess I'll be going."

"Wait, what is it like, where you are from?"

Her face was in shadow, I couldn't see her expression. "It's nice, though not much different from here. Mainly just the people and places are different, from what I see so far."

She took a step closer and I saw the excitement on her face. "I can't wait to go." She said softly.

I was completely perplexed now. She wanted to go to Earth, but why? I didn't have the heart to ask her, her face showed longing for something just out of reach, something she never had, and I couldn't tell what it was. I let the conversation die there, I simply nodded my reply.

I thanked her again. We went around front, avoiding the inside of the house. The last thing she did was hand me a small oil lamp. She gave me several matches and I lit one as I started down the path, she watched and waved until I was out of sight. We had made a connection in that last little bit of conversation, I can't say why, but it happened. And for almost a single second I wanted to stay with her, at least for the night, so she would not have to spend another lonely night in that smelly house. But I knew I did not have time, and so I walked away from her into the darkness.

Ch. 8

Angeela had been very strange, but then again she might have been normal in this world. I wondered if Miggins was like that, and had to be trained specially to assist me. So far I had nothing to compare Angeela's home with, but I hoped that smelly and messy was not the norm in Hurdeen.

The night was getting the better of me and I was starting to be very tired. My feet hurt tremendously and I was in serious need of water. I chose a large rock off to the left of the road to rest on. It had vertical lines etched into it which I took to be mile markers. Eight markings, was that for eight miles? Eight kilometers? Or something completely different? There were no lights in any direction and I assumed to be surrounded by endless fields, so each slash must correspond to a larger distance than I am used to.

I looked in the bag I was given, and upon finding a thin piece of lead, or perhaps graphite, and some brown paper I catalogued what was inside. The contents are as followed: One large jar of greenish goo (smells great!), two small loaves of seeded bread (very hard), three sheaf's of brown paper (now two), one writing instrument, one empty bag (knitted), and various, small, bronze tools, or weapons, or something, and one large jar of water (Yeah!!). I drank half of the water at once; it was very good, and started to work on figuring out what the bronze things were. After messing with them a while to no avail I put them back and started on my way.

There was something oddly calming about walking through an unknown place in the middle of the night by myself. There was also something very scary to it. Every few minutes I would become aware of a noise somewhere in the fields all around and I would stop, listening carefully until the noise died down, and then continued on. Several times I came across deer, they would run when I came close, sending me into a bigger panic. So basically overall it was not the best of nights. But it wouldn't end there; in fact I began to wonder if it would end at all. An hour after I rested on that big rock another one appeared. Thankfully the moon was full and bright, or I may not have been able to see anything at all. This rock only had seven markings. The next one I came to had six; I was beginning to have a good idea as to how far apart they were. Evidently I was getting closer to something, hopefully the town I was in search of.

I wondered what my dad would have thought of it all. He was a big believer in aliens, and I knew he would be more inquisitive than I have been. He would probably be on the ground sampling the soil, or doing wind sprints to see if this air had the same effect on the lungs. I wished he was there with me, but of course he wasn't, he was at home, worrying sick about me no doubt. I stopped; the cool breeze rustled my hair as I realized that for the first time in my life I was homesick. It was a sudden feeling almost an urge to get home as fast as possible. I walked on, faster than before. Dimitrius was my target, if I could get to him then things would get better, but . . . I stopped again, why was I going to Dimitrius? There didn't seem to be any real point, unless he could get me home faster, without even having to deal with the invasion. This new thought brightened my mood just a little as I walked on, now determined that my fate would be determined by Dimitrius and his crazy inventions, one of which would get me home.

"Nice night."

I jumped about a foot, I was so scared for those few seconds that nausea quickly set in and I had to take a few deep breaths in order not to throw up. The voice was easily recognizable, since I had only just heard it the previous day. I looked behind me and sure enough, there stood Poiye. He grinned at me, not because he enjoyed my fright, but because he was truly happy to see me.

"You again." I muttered when my heart slowed enough for me not to think that I was about to have a heart attack. "Why are you here?" I quickly remembered that he didn't answer questions, so I changed my approach. "You shouldn't be here, it's late."

"You are out late; rest is the best plan for these hours."

"Then you should be asleep."

"My plans have been well thought out . . . and I am right in the middle of them." He added as an afterthought.

"And what would --Uggh!" I forgot again, "Tell me your plans."

"To be with you."

That didn't make me feel any better. I didn't think he was dangerous, but he seemed to be trying to change my mind. I found myself walking faster, trying to put a little distance between us. It didn't work, he was always right there beside me. "I know the reason you are here."

"I doubt it."

"Tell me why you are here, why you are following me."

"You are almost to town, only one hour left." He pointed to the marker rock we were passing; it only had one mark on it.

"Oh I get it, they count hours by walking, not distance."

"The town is Thurm, you will be entering the next province, Thurmine, and the last before your destination."

There is no way he could get so much information about me unless someone briefed him at some point along the way, which would mean that he would have had to been very close by Angeela's and I never saw him, but it would have been easy to hide in the dark.

"You know Dimitrius." I said, carefully using my voice to make it a statement.

"Remember what Angeela said about which way to go."

The way he ignored my poorly disguised questions was really getting old. "Ok look, if you would just answer my questions I would feel a lot better about you following me and I could get over this feeling that you work for the Terror Bringers."

"I do not work for anyone. I am on my own and have been for a long time."

"Tell me why you are here!" I shouted, tired of the dead end the conversation was heading to.

"For you, of course." He said quietly.

"To help me."

"To assist you."

"Well you haven't really been doing a very good job at that."

"Yes I have."

"I'm in the middle of nowhere, walking toward a person I know very little about, and I'm starting to wonder if they can even help me."

"You have to go through nowhere to get to somewhere."

"That still doesn't help me, or assist me as you say."

We walked on for a long while, mostly in silence, but every now and then I would ask a question, he would ignore me and say a completely random phrase that had no meaning to me at all. Before I knew it I could see the unmistakable glow of fires and knew we were getting close. Dawn was just starting to the east, my right, but I was so tired I couldn't celebrate the end of the darkness. Poiye must have seen how sleepy I looked; he stopped me just after the light of dawn began illuminating the town's walls.

"If you need to sleep go to the first house on your left, it is a public bed house, and they will let you in."

I turned to thank him but he was gone, nowhere to be seen, he didn't even fade away this time. My eyes wanted badly to close, so instead of looking around some more I headed straight for that house.

A public bed house may seem like a terrible idea to some, and would probably never work back on Earth, but it was wonderful. I don't remember much about the place that morning, since I walked in half asleep, but they kindly showed me to my room where I promptly fell asleep.

I had a dream that morning, and while I assume it to have been really awesome, I don't remember much about it except for that Poiye was there, and we were in the convention center where my father took me right before I was taken. He didn't even look out of place, seeing as how he was wearing Earth clothes.

Ch. 9

I was awakened by sunlight coming through a very interesting round glass window in the ceiling. I have a feeling that the head of the bed was purposefully placed so that the light would shine on the sleeper's face at an exact time. I would say it was about eleven o'clock.

The room was very nice. Two beds (the other vacant) each with one sheet, one blanket, and one pillow. There was no door, but a curtain that led to the main hallway. There were eight rooms in all, and I was put in the first one, closest to the attendant who sat in a chair near the entrance. The best part of the whole thing was that it was free. I guess that's why it was a _public_ bed house. I could just imagine how messed up one would get at home.

The first thing I did once outside was look for some place to eat, I hadn't had anything in hours and my stomach was protesting fiercely. I didn't have any money, but I found out quickly that I didn't need any. Hurdeen did have a small mint, but the money was hard to come by, and practically useless once found. So they were more into bartering. Within an hour I had traded two of my bronze contraptions for a loaf of bread (much softer than the ones Angeela had packed) and a large wooden mug of juice, which tasted strikingly like orange. It was a very good breakfast apart from picking splinters out of my juice, and I was soon ready to continue on.

The town square was right in the center of town, and I found the right way out rather fast, all the houses were one story so I could see the walls of the town no matter where I was. I just went toward the one that looked like it headed east. I didn't even stop to think that maybe the sun rose in a different direction there. Shortly before coming to the gate I saw a man passing out papers. He wore loose fitting pants and a shirt to match, similar to what everybody was wearing. He gave me one of the papers, and of course I couldn't read it, but I overheard what others were saying about it nearby.

"So it's this afternoon?" A particularly skinny woman was saying to her friend who was just the opposite.

"Oh yes, Maradi, she is getting married this afternoon, everyone is invited."

A wedding! Well that was just fantastic for whoever it was. And what's more I had never been to a wedding, so why not? I might as well go, and I did. I couldn't remember what day it was compared to when I had gotten to Hurdeen, but I am sure I had enough time to watch a wedding. And besides, I was starting to think that the invasion wasn't going to happen at all, nobody there seemed at all worried, there's no way that giant council would have withheld information like that. Who knows, maybe the Terror Bringers were always saying they were going to invade, it could just be a false alarm. Besides I wasn't all that eager to go back out into endless fields just yet.

I told the man I would come, and then took a look around the town. It was of average size, and every turn had something to make me feel as if I had been transported back four hundred years on Earth. Everyone was dressed like peasants from a medieval reenactment. All the homes were small, wooden, and had thatched roofs. The town smelled of sewage and I even saw a few people dumping their garbage in the streets, but aside from that I think that there must have been sanitation workers somewhere. There was no older trash anywhere. It was a chilly day, yet nobody was wearing coats, and nobody seemed too put out. By this time most of the people were gone, working in fields not far from the gates.

While wandering through an alley I met a girl about my age. She noted the difference in my dress and how different it was from everyone else's, so she followed me around asking questions about who I was and where I was from. Not wanting to give too much away I said I was from Yim and that I was looking for my father, who was on business somewhere in Thurmine. She was greatly interested in this, especially the "having business" part. Evidently not many people in Thurm ever went anywhere else for work. I had questions of my own, and when she was finally satisfied with who I was, I started asking her about things, and unlike Poiye this girl, named Janey, actually answered me.

"So have you lived in Thurm your whole life?"

"Oh yes, I've never been anywhere else."

"That sounds like about the most boring existence." I said under my breath.

"Not at all, there is plenty to do."

I hadn't intended for her to hear me, but since she had I might as well apologize. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to insult you."

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"Can you tell me about how things are run here?" I really didn't care much, but I knew my dad would so I asked so I could tell him when I got back.

"Well," she said, thinking, "we have our local leader, and he takes orders from the Hurdeen Council and that's pretty much all I know."

"What's life like here?" I took out some paper and the lead to take down her answers.

"Most people work in the field, that's where my parents are now, and then there's everyone else who works in shops or taking care of the town. I clean homes, but I'm off today 'cause I did two yesterday. We get paid in food and supplies every so often. Supplies usually are household items like brooms, or we can exchange them for more food. That's what usually happens because we don't really need a broom every week."

"Right."

"And then on weekends we don't have to work. For people like me it's great, but my parents use that time to fix up our home, which is always having something wrong with it."

"Alright, so—"

"But on Monday nights we come together in the square and something special usually happens. Tonight it's a marriage. That's much better than last Monday. It was a funeral then."

"How terrible."

"No, he was one hundred and six, the oldest person ever in Thurm. We were so proud, but he complained all the time, 'would I just die already' he kept saying."

"He must have been in pain, did you know—"

"I didn't _really_ know him, but my mother did."

It was apparent that this girl didn't have many people to talk to.

"Do you have any sort of religion?"

"What do you live underground?"

I mused at the irony, "Actually yes, the entire capital city is underground."

"Really?" I didn't think it was possible for her to get more excited, but I was very wrong. "What's it like? Do you ever come up for air? Are you afraid of cave-ins like in the mines? Do you eat worms?"

"Whoa, Janey, chill out." I spent the next few minutes explaining everything I knew about the capital, I had to make up a few things, but I doubted she would ever go to the capital so I didn't feel too bad about that. We were now traveling along the outer walls of the city; the workers could be seen in the distance when we passed gates. I tried several times to get back into religion, but she inadvertently avoided the topic each time. After a while of trying a breakthrough was found, though it wasn't exactly a subtle advance. "So, back to religion, what do you believe in?"

She seemed reluctant to talk about it, "There are two groups," she started quietly, "the first is what I believe, and what most believe, and that is the Tale of The Family. The other—"

"Wait, what is the Tale of The Family?"

"You really don't know anything do you?"

"Just please tell me."

She sighed, and then started, "A long time ago there were two leading families in the civilization before our own. It was a better civilization where everything was fair. Nobody was ever hungry. These two families, the Hurdeens and the Voratiots, ruled everything. The Hurdeens head of state, Voratiots head of people and their issues. This worked out for years, but with everything there is problems long term. New descendants took over and they thought things unfair. The Hurdeens now wanted to be head of people and state, and the Voratiots wanted things to stay the same. Eventually things get violent. The Hurdeens turned to the gods, but when world livers fight so do gods, and there was no one up there to help. So it continued indefinitely. And then only two remained. one Hurdeen, one Voratiot. Only two gods remained, and being sick of all the fighting they separated the two people and told them to make their own societies, separately. And that's why things are like they are today.

"And of the gods?"

"They are still up there, making sure things are alright."

"They would never allow an invasion would they?"

"Of course not, that's why we have nothing to worry about. The god of the Terror Bringers will remind them of their Voratiot roots and they will stop."

Her optimism was a little frightening, but I could tell that from the lack of fear around, everyone was of the same mind. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

She shook her head fervently. "Even if they did come, do you think they could get through this wall?"

I shrugged, having no idea as to how strong the wall was, or to what the Terror Bringers would use if they wanted to get through it. "Now what was that second belief?"

"Oh, that, yes well that is a new thing, only believed in by a few people. I've never really met one personally, but I don't think I'd really like to."

"Go on."

"It's just weird what they believe in, and again it's a really new thing."

"Which is?"

"They believe that if they make this one man a leader, for what I don't know, then he will take them to a different world. One that is supposedly better than this one."

I couldn't help but think that whoever thought that up was also misinformed by Dimitrius, but it got me thinking that somebody from Yim must have started it. As far as I knew the people who believed this believed in all those stories Dimitrius told. "Do you know what that belief is called?"

"Dimitrian."

That settled it; the founder must have known Dimitrius and believed everything he said. "So they want to go to Earth?"

"Yes, that's what it's called. Are you one?"

"Oh no, definitely not."

"Good, those people are weird. They are going to be real disappointed when they find out that there's no such place."

"Definitely." I was starting to get nervous that she might start figuring out what was different about me. To be honest I don't think that Janey was all that observant but I made sure to tread carefully from then on. "This place, Earth or whatever, what do you know about it?"

"That it's not real." She sounded as if I'd asked her to jump an old lady.

"What do they believe it's like?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just humor me."

"All I know is that they think its better. The only reason I even know about it is because there's always some nut who comes in and starts preaching to everybody, there will probably be someone at the wedding later."

After all the talk of religion I forgot about the wedding. "How are weddings here?"

"They can't be too different than where you're from."

"Probably not, but I wasn't sure if you had any local customs."

"You'll just have to wait and see."

It was nice to make a friend; at least I wouldn't be alone at the wedding. Janey and I spent the afternoon together. She took me out to the fields where a friend of hers gave us a few seeds to trade with. They got us each a wooden bowl of meaty soup. I kept telling myself it was chicken because I couldn't imagine eating too much else.

She showed me everything she thought worth looking at, and I asked polite questions here and there to show I was interested. My mind wandered, and I was really thinking about architecture and town management, realizing that everything was so similar to Earth. Not just in Thurm, but everywhere in Hurdeen. Perhaps brains work similarly throughout the universe; it was a very strange, yet believable concept. But how could two planets so far apart come up with the same ideas, similar house structure, clothing style, food choices, and so much more. I knew of civilizations on Earth that were nothing like one another. Overall it was just strange looking at all the similarities.

They were setting up for the wedding when we got back to the town square. A stage had been erected on one end and a blue carpet had been stretched the length of the square. People were all around hanging decorations or carrying food into a small wooden shed. We joined a group of onlookers and watched for a while as the sun began to set. I tried once again to get details on what was going to happen, but Janey insisted that I wait and find out. I had never been good at waiting, but I figured this would be a good time to start, seeing as how I was going to have to travel for a while farther to get to Dimitrius.

People started arriving including Janey's parents. Her father, Impran, was a tall bearded man with gray hair poking through all over his head. He was very serious and I don't think he really liked my outfit, but he saw past that for the wedding. Her mother, Ranella, was a short woman with a very kind face, but just as serious as her husband. They both wore the town's brown pants and shirt, and to my amazement nobody dressed up. I attributed it to lack of funds but also tradition may say something about it, so I asked.

"Many wonder," Impran said, "but it is a little known fact that the first wedding in modern times, a peace wedding between a Hurdeen and a Voratiot, was done with of a sudden. And nobody was prepared or dressed appropriately. I believe we are the only town to still follow that example." He had a very soft voice, and I enjoyed listening to it.

"Who got married in that wedding?"

"No one knows, it didn't last and was more of a failed offering of peace. The fighting would continue for a while longer."

Impran worked in the fields as a leader, a person who would make sure everybody was doing their jobs. He worked up from the bottom to get to where he was and was very smart. He also taught the history of Hurdeen to the children of Thurm and I knew he would be able to answer my questions should I have any after the wedding.

The wedding started right at sundown. Gas lamps were ignited all around the square, giving the place a look of something from the turn of the twentieth century. Janey and her parents went around greeting neighbors and friends. I followed close behind. Occasionally people would ask who I was and they would say I was a friend from Yim. This created quite a buzz, and gave them a healthy boost socially. It didn't take long before questions started, most of which were eagerly answered by Janey.

"They live underground, and they don't eat worms!"

This got old rather fast. I would stand around while she told everyone about me, and for some reason that just about annoyed the daylights out of me. I know it shouldn't have but it did. She was actually doing me a huge favor by doing all the talking, and I should have liked it. I guess it had something to do with all the people around me, something I was never good at dealing with. I ducked out into an alley and wondered about in the darkness. I came to the eastern gate and seriously considered getting back on track, but I had waited so long for the wedding. I looked out into the night and thought about how easy it would be to just walk away, and for the first time in my life I realized that I could just walk away from people expecting things from me. I took a few steps, the gate guard watching me the whole time. He didn't stop me, I don't think he really cared, but it would have been nice if he did. But then it hit me. Nothing would change if I walked away. Just because I was able to get away from questions did not mean that I could walk away from my problems. I was still in Hurdeen, though truthfully I forgot for a minute. In the end I went back to face the crowds. Janey hadn't even noticed I was gone.

The groom arrived and we all got quiet. He was the only one (apart from me) who was dressed differently. He wore a white baggy shirt and pants. He stood near the shed, facing away from it, toward the crowd. I was so confused and was about to break down and ask what was happening when the shed door burst open and a woman in a white dress came out. By the cheer of the crowd I assumed it was the bride. She stood right behind the groom, while he tried not to look back. Everyone was laughing, even the groom. Then all of a sudden everyone yelled "look" and he flipped around. The newlyweds embraced and a huge cheer erupted. Even I clapped. And then came the best part: the food. A line formed outside the shed. People would go in and come out with a plate full of food. It was mystifying to see all those people walk out of that tiny shed with so much food.

The line went quickly and soon we were up. The bride and groom stood just off to the side to welcome everybody. They looked at me strangely, but still told me it was great that I came. I was a little surprised when I went in the shed. Holes were punched in the back and hands were coming through. The first hand gave me a wooden plate and the next piled it high with food. It was good food, whatever it was. There were meatballs, bread, little tomato looking things, and some kind of spicy sauce. I ate in the corner while everyone else talked and danced.

Janey came over complaining about how the drinks ran out, so I gave her my second jar of water, which she said was "surprisingly clear". I didn't want to find out what water she was used to. The crowd thinned as the night went on, Janey and her parents were some of the last to leave. They invited me to stay with them for the night and I readily accepted. As we were leaving I saw a group of people gathered in one of the alleys. Her parents went on home but Janey and I went up to see what was going on. We were only a few feet from the gathering when Angeela climbed onto a crate, her head showing above the rest. I grabbed Janey's arm in surprise.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

"No no, this is one of those people I was telling you about, listen to how crazy she is."

I shrank down, hoping to be lost in the crowd.

"Everyone," Angeela called out, "I come with great news, news of a new beginning in a world far better than this one. Earth is its name, with the help of our leader Dimitrius we can go, but you have to believe, you have to sacrifice."

"I told you she was nuts." Janey whispered.

By this time several people had left, scoffing on their way out, but she continued unfazed. "Their doubt is our strength; we cannot take many, but those who are willing to follow—"

"You're crazy!" Someone yelled.

"I am not! I will show you – Dimitrius will show you, just pledge your allegiance."

There were only a few people left now, and I knew we needed to go before she recognized me. The last thing I wanted was for Janey to think I was associated with "the nut".

"No, don't go, stay, I haven't even begun to tell you about being a Dimitrian."

With one final sigh she collapsed down onto her crate. Janey and I started away but I took one last look back. Angeela looked pitiful down on that crate, all alone in the alley. I had looked too long. Angeela picked up her head and saw me. She jumped up and ran toward us, calling my name.

"I wonder who this Bessie is." Janey said.

"No clue, but that freak is after us, let's go."

We ran down a few streets as Angeela tailed us, calling to me to slow down.

"Quick in here." Janey yelled. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into a house. We stood there panting in the doorway until it was clear Angeela was gone. "That was a close one."

"Yeah." I panted.

"Why was she after us?"

"Like you said, she's a nut."

"What's going on?"

Janey's parents came in behind us. "We just wanted to beat you home." She said, clearly not wanting to tell her parents about being chased by a Dimitrian.

Impran showed us to the living room. There were four wooden chairs covered in felt. A large carpet covered much of the room, hiding the floorboards below. I marveled at the simplicity of it all as I took a seat. All seated, Impran asked questions about the capital. Janey was still too frightened to answer them for me. I was a little nervous now; I didn't know how much he knew. All my answers were bland with "yes", "no", or "I never looked". When he stopped I started.

"Can someone please explain that wedding to me, it seemed really short."

"Yes it was short, how long did you want it to be?" Janey's mother asked, I already forgot her name, and did not want to ask.

Impran, who was overall better at explaining things, probably because he was a teacher, took over. "What we saw was basically the after show; the actual vows take place in private. It is symbolic that the groom does not see the bride, and only does with the consent of the people, hence everybody yelling 'look'. I would tell you what happens in private but I can't in front of Janey, no one is supposed to know until they get to that point themselves."

Luck prevailed and they did not ask me what weddings were like where I was from. I don't even know what I would have said. We sat there for a while and Janey told about her day, about how she hung around with me the whole time. Then we just sat and enjoyed the quiet, everyone thinking to themselves. My mind went back to Dimitrius, something was still nagging me.

"Who is Dimitrius?"

They all looked at me as though that had been the strangest question. "Well," Impran began, "he was an inventor in the capital, and you may have known him when you were younger. He invented many things, though none end up here. Anyway about ten years ago he got exiled, and his story travels around. I'm not sure how it started, but soon afterward people started coming here with stories of Earth, like it's a real place."

"That's it, the stories just started and nobody knows who started them?"

"In my opinion, it was all something cooked up by his friends so he could get his job back."

"Do you know why he was exiled?"

"Probably because his ideas grew dangerous to the council."

I was afraid my questions were making them suspicious, so I gave it a rest. Janey's mother went to bed almost immediately following the Dimitrian talk. I could tell it was getting late, so I made the suggestion that I spend the night at the public bed house, but Impran insisted that I stay with them. They each gave me a blanket and I made a comfortable spot on the floor in Janey's room. I made sure they all knew that I had to leave in the morning; I told them I needed to get home, because my father would most likely be back by now.

Ch. 10

It was a pleasant night, and before I knew it I was getting up. Janey's parents had gone down to a nearby bakery and brought back bread for us all to eat for breakfast. It was still warm when it got back to me. I never had bread so fresh. We talked about the day, Janey had a house to clean and her parents were due in the fields before long. After breakfast we all met in the doorway and said our goodbyes.

"Guess we'll be seeing you then." Impran said as he gave me a quick hug.

"It was nice to meet you." said Janey's mother.

"We had a good day yesterday," Janey said, "but I never did get your name."

"Howard." I don't know why I chose that name, but I knew I couldn't give them my real name after Angeela yelled it so many times the night before. Interestingly they did not find Howard a strange name for a girl.

"Goodbye Howard, come and see us again sometime." Janey said.

I am so bad with goodbyes that all I could manage was a "bye bye" as I walked away. I was all the way at the eastern gate before I realized that I never thanked them.

It was a nice day, the sun shone brightly and the breeze had a hint of a chill that was reminiscent of fall back home. I took a few quick glances back at the walls of Thurm. I had a good time, but was glad to be back on the move in the right direction. As I walked down that curving dirt road I couldn't help but marvel at everything about Janey and her parents, and even the rest of Thurm for that matter. They were such great people (aliens sounded weird) for all the things they did for me. That thing about the Dimitrians was strange though, how the whole town shunned the idea without really understanding it. They could have at least heard Angeela out. Were their lives so great that they didn't even want to think about going to a better place? I have great parents, a nice home, and a good neighborhood and I still would have listened. I mean their beliefs were kind of out there too, and they didn't really make much sense either. In most religions that I know of the goal is to end up somewhere better than we are now. Yet with their beliefs I never heard anything about a heaven or even an afterlife. Perhaps I just didn't have it explained fully. I then regretted not asking Impran everything I could have. I would have to wait until I found someone else to tell me.

The first hour marker came and went and there was still nothing in any direction. The most exciting thing that happened was the road dipping suddenly, causing me to almost lose my balance.

I remembered back when I wanted something exciting to happen. Well it did, and just because I was in a lull at the moment I still couldn't deny that everything around me was new and exotic, despite how plain it looked. I wished I could have gone back and told myself what was going to happen, though I'm sure I would have never believed it.

I missed school; I really did. Even though I didn't think about it much I wanted to be back there. I would have even loved to be in that English class I hated. But really deep down it was caused by the need for normalcy. That desire to keep things the way they've always been. Sometimes just before trips I would feel uneasy for the changes ahead. Of course once on the road and especially at the destination I felt great. The only difference here was that I never got the opportunity to feel uneasy, I was plunged right into weirdness and had to go with it, and in a way I was thankful. That uneasiness, almost dread, that something could go wrong was a terrible feeling and I was glad to be rid of it. However it was replaced by an everlasting anxiety that something did go wrong. It was just as bad if not worse. The difference being that I could mask the anxiety. I no longer had to worry that something might go wrong when I was knee deep in a mess. It was now time for courage and action, the former of which I had to convince myself I had.

There was something in the distance, not a town but a small building with a fence jutting out the sides, curving in on itself after about a hundred yards, and closing in somewhere in the distance. The voices of people arguing carried all the way to me, still so far back. I took my time in getting up to it just in case the arguing turned to shouting and the shouting turned to fighting. I could still get away undetected. I still couldn't see anybody as they were probably around front of the stone house, but I could clearly hear what was being said.

"Kippin boy, you surely need to come up with a better prize today, I still don't have a walkin' toad for that prize last week."

A man, I'm assuming "Kippin boy" answered. "Now look, I tell you every week what the prize is before you start, every week, don't I Murl?" I heard an assenting grunt, "And if you don't like what I'm givin', then don't race."

The first voice continued. "But you always give out the same thing."

"Then don't show up!"

I came around the corner of the house and found myself face to face with three surly looking men. We stared at each other for a while, each of us surprised by the sudden appearance of the other, until one came up to me.

"Name's Kippin, nice to meet you." said the first man. He had short brown hair and wore a backwards football jersey and orange Capri's. And he wasn't even the strangest dressed of the three.

The next who came up had a very woolly face and wore cargo shorts and a flowery blouse. "I'm Murl."

The third man was dressed as the people from Thurm, he walked away once I arrived. "Where ya going?" Kippin yelled, "Don't want to try your luck today?" He then turned back to me. "Your clothes don't make any sense."

This was a bizarre statement considering I was the only one that looked normal, if they would have just traded tops then they would have looked closer to normal. "Where did you get your clothes?"

"Some Dimitrian gave them to us for saying we'll follow Dimitrius, I'd say anything for free clothes, especially ones of this quality."

"So you came to race today?" Murl asked.

"Race what?"

"Race what! Why shuirrels of course!" Kippin said in disbelief.

"What's a shuirrel?"

"What's a shu—you are obviously from Yim. You don't know nothin'."

"Excuse me, but you are the ones talking about racing swirls."

"Not swirls girlie, shuirrels." Kippin corrected.

"And what are those?"

"These," Murl grunted. He threw the lid off of a large wooden crate I just then noticed. Inside were about twenty of the little squirrel like animals with long ears. If anything they should be called elf squirrels. They were climbing and scratching their way up, trying to get out.

"Where do we race?" I asked.

"On the track, of course." Kippin answered.

We were in fact standing on a giant dirt track with lanes marked by chalk lines. There were about twenty little lanes. It looked about the size of a high school track back home.

I had to think about this for a minute. I had just gotten back on track, but I was already tired of walking. So I decided to take part in the race. Kippin was real excited and told me to pick whichever shuirrel I thought fastest. None of them looked particularly speedy, but I did see one huddled in the corner, I chose that one. My theory being that he was using less energy than the others, and might somehow win.

I carefully picked him up out of the crate, careful that none of the others grabbed onto my arm, and took him over to one end of the racetrack until others arrived. I named him Swirl

It took an hour for little Swirl to get used to me, at first he just curled up and wouldn't move, but then something strange happened. I was tired of carrying my backpack so I put it down, and Swirl jumped up and started running the track. Kippin hailed me from afar for my training style, but I was too busy chasing Swirl to hear much more. I caught the little guy halfway through his first lap and brought him back. Once near my pack he started squirming like crazy. As an experiment I brought him closer and closer to my backpack. It was like I was holding him up to a flame the way he fought to get loose. There had to be something in there he didn't like. I started pulling things out and holding them close to him. It wasn't the water, the bread from Thurm, or the little bronze contraptions. It turns out it was Angeela's stone hard bread. He went crazy and tried to bite me through those fingerless gloves I was wearing. I let him go and he started running laps again. After a lot of effort I pulled a piece off and stuck it in my pocket, and threw my backpack against the fence. Then came the challenge of catching Swirl. He ran a lot slower when away from the bread. My theory is that someone trained him once with bad bread, though it could just be that he smelled Angeela through her baking. I went about pretending to jog with him, when really I was dropping crumbs along the outside of the track.

When done we went back to our corner and waited for the race. It was several hours before we had enough people, eight showed up, and Kippin called us over to begin. All the participants greeted each other. I was the only first timer and was at a disadvantage, as the others took the liberty of pointing out. By the way they were all dressed I could tell they were all from Thurm, unless everyone in Hurdeen dressed that way. Two or three laughed at me for picking Swirl, saying that he was by far the slowest of the lot. I didn't pay any attention to them. They didn't know my secret weapon.

We lined up on the track, holding our shuirrels just above the dirt, ready to let them go at Kippin's signal. "This will be a two lap race," he said, "the first shuirrel who crosses the starting line after their second lap is the winner. I will provide commentary, Murl will assist me. Now when I say go—"

The other participants released their shuirrels. Luckily I was only a second behind, as I got startled from all the running shuirrels that I dropped Swirl, and he took off.

"They're off!" Kippin shouted as he leapt back out of the way, the rest of us also left the track. "Bushy is in the lead, but here comes Capgirl's up the pack, I've never seen that one run so fast, have you Murl?" Murl grunted what I can only assume to be "no".

Little Swirl easily passed Bushy by the second turn and looked good to win. Six of the shuirrels forgot about the race altogether and started fighting each other, leaving only two.

"And there's a fight in turn three," Kippin shouted, as if we couldn't hear him. Murl gasped accordingly. "Only Bushy and Capgirl's remain, but they're going to have problems when they get to that mess."

Sure enough he was right. Swirl suddenly stopped and watched, letting Bushy catch up and pass. When he realized what happened Swirl took off after Bushy but he was so far behind.

"Bushy's back in the lead, but Capgirl's still has a chance. They round turn two, aren't their little tails cute Murl?" Murl grumbled indistinctly. "Down the straight away and Bushy's lead is slowly disappearing."

Bushy's trainer screamed loudly. I had no idea what she was saying, but I didn't care, I had started screaming for Swirl, chanting his name and yelling out instructions.

Kippin was highly amused. "Capgirl's shuirrel is apparently named Swirl, well you go Swirl."

"Shut up!" Bushy's trainer yelled.

"Here they go around turn three, neck and neck. Down the straight away, Swirl takes the lead!"

I was jumping all over the place now. Swirl seemed to feed off my energy because he kicked it up and tore through the last turn so fast there was going to be no photo finish.

"Final sprint for Swirl, Bushy looks tired. Here they come, and the winner is SWIRL!"

Poor Bushy slowed to a walk after Swirl crossed the finish line. The fighters were now all over the track, still fighting, and Swirl continued on for a third lap. I waited until he came back around, letting him have his victory lap, and then grabbed him. Kippin came over, still screaming his head off.

"What a finish! Swirl has never won a race before and now he's a hero for everyone everywhere. Go on home Terror Bringers unless you want to face Swirl! Now for your prize, girlie, we would like to give you this." He handed me a leather pouch. "Now before you say anything I know for a fact that they use coins in the capital, so you should be able to get something for these."

Inside were about thirty little copper coins with a man's face etched on them, surrounded by words I could not read. "Oh, this is great." I said, genuinely happy to have them. Even If I couldn't use them anywhere but the capital at least I had them to take home with me. "Thank you very much."

He looked at me a little peculiarly, but shook it off. "Thank you for winning, I was afraid that little guy was going to be in that crate forever, but now that he won we can finally let him go."

"You let them go when they win?"

"Yeah, what did you think we did?"

"I don't know, I never thought of it."

Murl came up next, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, but I don't know if I can take this money, I cheated."

Kippin laughed, "Everyone cheats, but the best cheater wins, and that is you today."

"Oh, um, okay."

The other trainers put their shuirrels back and left, leaving me to have all the attention of Kippin and Murl, but I knew it was about time for me to leave as well. "This has been a great experience, but I am needed up the road."

"Say no more, girlie, we understand and are happy to let you leave. Why don't you come back sometime and race another shuirrel."

"I just might do that."

"I hope you do, we'll be seeing you."

"Bye." Murl grunted.

I said a final goodbye to Swirl, and then handed him to Kippin. He promised that Swirl would get a victory dinner before being released. I left feeling refreshed, despite having run around so much.

I was back on the road once again, this time with a bag of almost useless money. It was getting to be dark now, I would say about six, but that's only if this world runs on twenty four hour days like Earth. It seemed almost impossible to have two planets so far apart running on the same day cycle, along with the same environment and similar animals. But that brings me back to God, and as I thought more about it, it seemed too likely to ignore. There had to be a divine creator for all these things to coincide, at least that's how I saw it.

Unless, and I hate to go back to this, it was all in my head, just a figment of my imagination. I could be in a coma right now in a hospital somewhere. I had to think of something else, these thoughts were leading me into darker places. It was no wonder considering it was night, I was alone, and I was becoming increasingly aware of a noise somewhere behind me. It was a _pat . . . pat_ on the ground and immediately I thought of bears and serial killers. Too scared to look I let it continue, hoping it wasn't anything dangerous. I concentrated hard, letting my mind clear, trying to figure out just what it was. It was no use; I couldn't do it, I was too scared. I felt like it was closer, just out of my mind's reach. I had to know, I couldn't take it anymore. Hoping for the best I flipped around, and there, just feet behind me, stood Poiye.

I just about wanted to punch him in the face. "What is your problem?" I didn't care that he wasn't going to answer; I had to yell at him.

He wore a purple bowtie today, with a green shirt, a tan vest and a black overcoat. I was still amazed at how well he dressed in Earth clothes compared with the rest of Hurdeen, which got me thinking what he might be a Dimitrian; only one way to find out.

"Are you—sorry – you are a Dimitrian."

"You've said that before." He said.

"Oh, sorry, I don't remember – wait, no I didn't, I asked if you knew Dimitrius."

"Those who know him are more swayed to be Dimitrian."

"You're probably right, but I don't see how that matters."

"Everything matters." He said, smiling mysteriously.

"Something's only matter a little bit, and we hardly think of them."

"And yet you think of Dimitrius."

"He seems like a pretty big deal around here."

"For you, but as you saw in Thurm, he means little to them."

"I get what you're saying, it's all relative. What matters to me has little matter to others."

"Everything matters." He said again.

"Alright, I get it, but it doesn't matter right now."

"You've gotten off track."

"No I haven't, I've just been taking my time."

"The Terror Bringers have not been taking theirs."

"You know . . . about that, I don't really think we have anything to worry about. The people of Thurm weren't scared."

"Laws are not proven true by one sample."

"True," I said slowly, "but that is how theories are formed."

"Good theories use multiple samples."

"I don't understand what you are trying to say."

"In time you will."

The topography was changing. The ground sloped down, falling between two large hills. A valley was forming around us. As we walked the hills grew farther apart and taller while the ground evened out. This continued until we were walking in a valley a mile in width.

"Strange entry to a valley." I noted.

"Perhaps from an ancient river."

"A vale."

"Or created by a glacier."

"Seems more likely."

It was a very beautiful valley. Trees were growing here and there along its slopes, their leaves changing colors as they do at home. I could see several deer; they stopped and watched before continuing on with their lives. The sun was almost completely down, hiding behind one of the hills, but enough light showed for me to see a small stream running through the center of the valley, continuing into the distance.

There was an extraordinariness to it all I simply could not place. Everything at that moment was perfect. The setting sun, the fall colors, the deer, it was if I was in a postcard for Maine. This was a much better place than Thurm, I could tell already.

"There appears to be a church in the distance." He said, not at all surprised.

"Where?" I saw it, still a ways away. I was easily recognizable because of the steeple, but unlike churches on Earth it did not have a cross, but what appeared to be a bronze sun on top. The church looked old, maybe even unused. As I got closer I could tell stones were missing and weeds were overgrowing its yards.

"This is my time to go." Poiye said.

"You always leave right as things get interesting."

"There is only one reason I am here."

I couldn't think of a way to ask without literally asking, so instead I looked at him inquisitively. He saw through it and smiled that strange smile. Then he turned slowly away from me. As he turned he faded, until completely gone.

I shrugged, but other then that put little thought into his disappearance. I was used to it by now. I still had no idea what he was to be able to do that, but my leading explanation was that he had a teleporting mechanism with him. Or maybe he was going invisible; after all he always knew what I was doing. This, understandably, made me feel a little awkward, and I took to waving my hands around for a while, trying to hit him if in fact he was invisible. I probably looked real stupid, but if I hit him I would be vindicated. This got old real quick and I stopped, deciding he did disappear.

I approached the church with caution, not knowing who could be inside. It did not look like it was used for religion in a while. Two large wood doors stood closed, I pushed them open and stepped inside. The first thing that hit me was the smell, musty to say the least, as if nothing had been washed for years. Everything was dark; the broken windows had little light to shine down. The gloom continued throughout the small church. There were no benches, the pulpit was knocked over, and the walls were streaked with stains. It was cool inside, small holes throughout the walls let the evening air in. My footsteps echoed loudly all around, and I wished they wouldn't, but I continued. Halfway across the floor I turned back, right above the door were two statues coming out of the wall, two men. They were facing each other, I couldn't see their expressions in the growing darkness, but I assumed they would be smiling; after all I was in a church.

"You shouldn't be here."

I was too scared to move at first. I would have run for the door if not for the voice that said the words. It was old, frail, barely threatening. I turned around, and up at the pulpit (picking it up, actually) was an elderly man wearing brown robes.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know any one was here."

"You must leave. Any more of your foolishness and you will be punished."

It was impossible not to feel sorry for this guy. Everything about his situation was depressing. "I'm sorry, but I only got here just now, I'm from Yim.

I wished I could have seen his face clearer but it was in shadow. I'll bet it just lit up, because his voice sure did. "Oh my, I must apologize; we don't get too many visitors."

"What happened here?"

"I'm afraid fear turns to hysteria. When things go far off track you need somebody to blame, and something to do to relieve the feelings of anxiety."

"You mean people did this?"

"What else could?"

"Age, sir."

"If only."

I walked up to him, he was shorter than I expected. The little hair he had was gray, disheveled, adding to my sympathy. His hands were thin, the veins easy to see through wrinkled skin. They shook slightly as he held them close to his chest. I helped him over to a lone wooden chair, chipped in places, but it supported his weight.

"How are things in Yim?" He asked.

"Great." I said, not sure what else to say.

"That's good . . . that's really good."

"Sir?"

"Yes."

"Could you tell me about the religion in Hurdeen?"

"Oh no child, I'm not the one to continue that tradition, today there is no more religion in Sorm."

"What is Sorm?"

He chuckled, which led to a cough. "You are so near Sorm, it is the village directly behind us."

"Really? I hadn't even noticed a village; it must not be very easy to spot."

"Not anymore." He sighed, a long deep sigh that echoed sadness through time itself.

I wanted so badly to make him feel better; to see a smile crack that aged face. He deserved it, I only knew him for a minute at the most but I could tell. Some people are like that, you can just tell who they are and what they'll do with only the slightest of interactions. "Tell me about before, when it was still nice here."

A large smile spread across his face, revealing several missing teeth. "It was something to see. I can still remember my grandfather taking me to this very place every week. The walls were whole, benches throughout filled with happy people; especially in the spring time . . . oh it was amazing in the spring. Everyone was happy for the end of winter, the trees had leaves, the ground was warm, and the people warmer. I played outside then, in the gardens. And Sorm, what a place to be! Not a frown to go around, we were always outside; I only ever went inside to sleep and eat. The adults made their money in agriculture, as most do in Hurdeen, but this was different. Food from Sorm was the best food around; even Voratiots came down to get some." His smile faded, "But it all changed when the current leader took over. The leaders in Yim were scared; they didn't want to have to protect a small village so close to their enemies so they let us waste. Everything was taken from us, all the good people left. I stayed behind to protect this place here. It was really the only thing I had. And now I rarely leave, only for food will I ever go out."

"That's horrible."

"Only as a memory most days."

"Why would they do that? That doesn't sound like them at all."

"To see something as it truly is you must see it from all angles."

"I'm sorry for what happened, and you know what? I have some say in Hurdeen, when I get back I can tell them to change what they've done."

He looked up at me, suspicious. "Who are you?"

"Someone who can help."

He smiled again; it was all worth it to see that. "Then I thank you."

"Do you know where I can find Dimitrius?" I didn't want to ask at first, but by then I had forgotten what to do next according to Angeela's directions.

He got up from his chair and went towards the back of the church, asking me to follow. There was a small door in the wall, he pushed it open. Small wooden buildings could be seen, not too far away. "Head straight through Sorm, a road starts, just follow it through the Forgotten Lands and you should be able to ask his whereabouts from there."

"Thank you."

"Before you go, are you a Dimitrian?"

It was strange to be asked, he didn't seem to dislike them, but I was still careful. "No, but I need to talk to him."

"I'm going to guess that the council does not know you are here."

"Yeah." I said uncertainly.

"If it goes against the council then I don't feel bad about telling you which way it is. I must warn you, Sorm is not safe at night, nor is it during the day really, but even less so at night. If you would like you can stay here, there is a second bed chamber, hasn't been used in years, but I can clean it real quick."

"Thank you very much, I am tired, but you don't have to clean it, I will."

I should have thought that over before I answered. Father Jared (the first name I heard that would not be strange at home) led me down into the basement where the rooms were. The guest chamber was caked in a two inch thick layer of dust that could not be completely cleaned. There was a bed in the corner, a small desk near the door with a candle on it. He brought me a bowl of soup, which was basically colored water with small dumplings, but I told him it was great regardless. He wished me a good night and then left me alone. I got into the bed, hard as a rock, and blew out the candle, hoping for a night of good dreams and a day of finally getting to my destination.

Ch. 11

The room was dark, quiet, and as I lay in that hard bed, only half awake. I drifted in and out of consciousness, waiting for the sun's light to signal the morning. It took about an hour of this until I realized that there were no windows, and even if there were I was underground so it didn't matter. I got up, once again wishing for a shower. I felt good and grimy now, not a single part of me clean. If my recollections were correct then Father Jared did not smell too great either, eliminating the possibility that he could help me find a bath. To his defense, however, I couldn't accurately differentiate the musty smell of the church with his odor.

I stumbled about in the dark, knocking over the little table, before finding the door. Another bowl of soup lay beside the door. I drank it down quickly, even if it was cold. Father Jared met me upstairs; he was busy with the seemingly never ending task of sweeping the floor. It was brighter inside, but the day had dawned gray, enhancing the gloominess of the church.

"Good morning." He said brightly, probably because he had company for the first time in a long while.

"Morning, I think I need to be going soon."

"I think so as well. Please tell me, are you seeking Dimitrius to stop the invasion; is he going to invent something to stop them?"

"Um . . ."

"It's alright if you can't tell me."

"Let's just say he is going to help."

Another smile, and with it my own spirits rose. I wanted to stay longer, but I knew it was time to go. He showed me out the back door. I said goodbye and made sure to thank him. He had me promise that I would come back on my way home. I said I would, but I secretly hoped that I would find a way home once with Dimitrius.

It was gray outside; there was a chill in the air mixed with a slight mist. Everything was calm, quiet, as if just waiting for the perfect time to jump out. The ground was mushy. It must have rained overnight, and it looked like it might again. As I got closer to the town I noticed a pungent odor, worse than the church. It wasn't until I was past the first house that I figured out what it was: waste, every possible thing that can fit in that word's meaning. What used to be stone walkways were now covered in black sludge formed from years of dumping trash. The only place safe to walk was the grass, now mostly mud (I hoped). It was clear to see why Father Jared rarely left the church.

The air through my sleeve was much nicer, and I was the only one around, so I didn't have to worry about offending anyone. I trudged (really the only word to use) past a few buildings that could have once been houses, but now were just shells, possibly without anything inside. I did not want to find out. Luckily Sorm followed the same pattern that Thurm did. I came to a square, just a big empty space really, and could see four ways out. The one I wanted was directly ahead, only a few minutes away. In retrospect I suppose walking directly out into the town square was a mistake.

Just a few feet until being hidden by buildings a voice called out.

"Hello." It said, filling square with an echo and my mind with dread.

I didn't stop, the voice was not Father Jared's, was not filled with his kindness, his aged wisdom. This voice was hollow with no emotion.

Almost there, I could have touched the first house when –

"STOP!"

There was nothing I could do, how could I ignore that? If I had kept walking they might have attacked. I turned, slowly, to see who it was. The sight gave me quite a shiver. It was a woman, clearly. What was not clear was whether or not she was human. She was about six feet tall, emaciated to the extent that I could clearly see every bone in her arm from half way across the square. She wore a blue dress that, like everything else in that town, was worn and could only be a shadow of its former glory. Her neck was extended, her head drooping slightly. Hands like claws, and a face that could only be described as harpy-like. She moved toward me and I almost ran for it, but I knew that that would only make things worse. So I stood, fearing the worst, not knowing what to do or what she wanted from me. It took everything I had to stay still. She smelled terrible the closer she got. She pointed a long bony finger at me, and then she spoke.

"You . . . you are from Yim." Her voice remained stained with her overpowering presence, I felt nauseated from the first word.

"Yes." I said slowly.

Her hand twisted over, her index finger curled back and forth. "Come here." Her voice was cracked, worn.

"I'm actually on my way somewhere."

"Follow me."

Now this was not the time to showcase bad judgment, but I threw caution to the wind in what can only be described as a lapse of mental reasoning. There was something there, in my mind, forcing me toward her, an obsession. She might look strange but she may have valuable knowledge. One foot after the other and I was following close behind. She must have been awfully mesmerizing in her overall shocking appearance. She wandered through several streets, and for the first time I noticed indications that this town was habited. Shuttered windows creaked open just a hair to see what was going on. I caught sight of wondering eyes, all pointed directly at me as if I was the strange looking one. A few doors had tiny holes in them, and I am certain people were right behind the doors watching as well. We entered a small alleyway between two rows of houses. This woman kept craning her neck around in all directions, adding to the already overflowing list of disturbing things about her.

She stopped. I stopped just in time, or I would have walked right into her. She turned to the left, facing a large piece of what looked like a wooden wall resting up against the side of a building. We stood there looking at this thing for a while. I didn't see any importance to it but I had come this far, no point in turning back. She reached a hand out and knocked, very quietly, on the piece of wall. Again we waited, I looked around, nobody in sight, but I could feel the presence of people hidden all around. And then the wall moved, slowly, revealing a hole in the ground.

She pointed at the hole. "Go."

"You know, I really –"

"Go now!" she said, her voice stern, yet quiet.

I did as I was told, got down and slowly and let my legs drop down into the hole. There was a peg that I rested my feet on as I lowered myself into the ground. Following the pegs I landed on a solid surface after a minute of descending. It was a tunnel. The walls were dirt and sloped outward from the ceiling. I marveled at her guts to use a tunnel so unsafe. It was dark; the only light came from the hole I came down. The light went out, and I heard a thud beside me.

"This way."

I could hear the woman walking down the dark tunnel and followed. I ran into the walls multiple times. It was hard to follow a straight path without my eyes guiding me. There seemed to be no end in sight for the darkness, but just as I was about to audibly complain the faintest hint of light could be seen up ahead. The tunnel curved to the right, the light could clearly be seen now. It was from a fire up ahead, it flickered light and shadows down the walls. We came out into a large cavernous room, cut rough and ragged by nature. Stalactites hung low from the ceiling, eternally dripping down to the stalagmites below. The fire stood in the very center, warming bodies asleep all around. There must have been a hundred people in there. The woman turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, leaning in close.

"Are you the girl from the capital going to see Dimitrius?"

"How did you know that?"

"Word gets around quickly by Dimitrians." She saw my look of confusion and said, "Angeela came by last night."

"I can't promise anything, what you were told about Earth is mostly lies."

"So you really are from there?" She said in disbelief.

"Yes, but again it is not like you think."

"Is it better than here?"

"Well yes . . ."

"That's good enough for us."

"For who, who are these people?"

"We are the ones in hiding; we live down here so we don't have to deal with the Hurdeen's anymore."

"You mean the Terror Bringers?"

"Oh no, you must have been brainwashed by those people in the capital. The Voratiots are not our enemies, at least not anymore."

I was very confused. "But . . . wait, I don't get it."

She sighed. "The Voratiots, or Terror Bringers as they are known in Yim are coming to bring us under their control, and we can't wait. Look outside. What do you see? You see a town forgotten by the great Hurdeen, and we want no part of them. They let us die just so they can have a buffer zone between them and the Voratiots, not to mention the Forgotten Lands, always full of thieves. We are waiting until it is safe, and it will only be safe once the Voratiots come. Personally, I hope they destroy the capital."

"If they really are going to invade, then you all will be the first to go."

"No, we will welcome them with arms wide; they will let us live and destroy the capital."

"If they are so great then who destroyed this place?"

She scoffed, "Who destroyed it? The Hurdeen destroyed it by letting us rot."

"You are Hurdeen."

"Only officially."

"I am so confused."

"Don't be, it will all be clear soon. Dimitrius will clean it all up for you. Rumor has it that he is in league with the Voratiots. Once they take over his true supporters will be awarded by going to Earth."

"Quick thought: have you ever considered making this place to be as good as you think Earth is?"

She just stared at me. Something tells me that she did not understand what I was saying at all. There was a noise close by, a little girl had woken up and gasped when she saw me. She woke the person next to her, they did the same, and soon everybody was awake and looking at me eagerly as if I was about to do a great magic trick. The woman, who everyone was calling Meg, pulled me up to a higher elevation of rock and set me up in front of the whole group, now in a cluster right before me.

"This is the girl from Earth!" She called out.

Pandemonium, everyone cheered and shouted. I had never experienced anything like that and I must say it felt kind of good. For a moment I lost it in my own elation and thought that I must have done something special for these people. But as they calmed down I remembered that they only cared about me because I was from Earth, nothing else. That brought me back to reality and once again I wondered just why I was in Hurdeen at all. I had no answers from anyone, and desperately needed them.

"Why don't you tell everyone what Earth is like?" Meg shouted above the last of the cheers.

Another huge roar from the crowd. I didn't know what to do or what to say, but I decided to start with what they needed to know. "Look, Earth is great, but a lot of what you heard is not real."

"You mean you really don't have things that you can fly in?" One person asked.

"We do, they're called airplanes."

"I knew it!" The same person shouted.

"And things that you can travel very fast in?" Somebody else asked.

"We do, they are called cars."

Once again there was applause.

"What I mean is that the stories you've been told about our history are not real."

"There's no doubt that Dimitrius is an embellisher, but not to that degree, perhaps you just live in the wrong place." Meg said.

"That's not right, because no matter where you're at, with the exception of a few remote locations, news is broadcast from all parts of the world. We know what happens shortly after it occurs; secrets are not kept secrets for long."

I had them hooked, not an eye wavered away from me. It was so blatant that I was not helping my "Earth is lame" argument.

"You mean you know of places beyond Earth?"

Earth is the name of the planet."

"You know what goes on elsewhere on the planet?" Meg asked excitedly.

"Yes, but so do you, I mean you know what happens with the Voratiots."

"But what's beyond that? What's beyond the seas? We have no idea."

"Nobody's ever explored?" I asked. The idea of unexplored land was foreign to me.

"Why would we? How would we?"

"Just go, get out there and see what you can find."

"What is your name?"

"Bessie."

"Forget being a Dimitrian, we should all be Bessie-ans."

"No no, that won't do, what you should be are you-ans." I didn't realize that it made no sense until it was already out of my mouth.

"What can we do on our own?" An old man asked in the front.

"You can explore. You can do things, fight back and do something."

"No doubt we'll get beat." The man said.

"You don't know that." I was really getting fired up now. "You might be surprised. There's no point in hiding here in this cave when you can determine your own destiny. And that's the point, make your world the way you want it. If you know of a way to change things for the better, do it."

I was expecting cheers, but there were none. Their captivated faces now showed confusion.

"That all sounds good," Meg said, "but you don't understand how hard that really is. Earth may permit that sort of behavior but not here. If we were to say those things to the council they would have us all imprisoned. The best thing we can do is to wait till the Voratiots come and join them."

"If that's all you want then I have no reason to say anything else. I need to be going now anyway." I stepped down from the elevated section of rock and started to the tunnel.

"Bessie," Meg called, "don't think bad of us. We have no other choice."

"It's alright," I said, feigning a smile, "I got it."

I started back down the tunnel without another look back. A little boy chased after me and led the way with a lit torch. The flame burned the stick to a stub, but not before we made it back to the hole. I thanked him and started up; he went back to the cave.

Ch. 12

It was once again silent, smelly, and full of murk. And that was the only way to describe Sorm, the town of broken . . . well the town of broken everything. There was no reason, in my mind, why those people had to hide. If the government was that bad to them just because they were in that town then why didn't they move to another one? The fact that they just blindly follow Dimitrius who I'm sure has to be great from all the things I've heard about him is beyond me. As far as I knew he was just some loser who got exiled and then started telling people how great he was so he could get his job back.

I was still fuming when I got back to the square and found where I had to go. Eyes could still be seen through some windows and doors. I wondered if they knew about anything that I had said in the cave yet. It didn't matter. By this point I was having serious doubts about my mission, not that I didn't before, it was just that it was more easily masked then. But now, in Sorm, only dark thoughts remained. There was no hope in that dilapidated town, at least not to me.

The exit was up ahead, I almost ran to get there, and then, once again, somebody called to me. I looked back; a hand was beckoning to me between wooden slats in a window.

"Yes?" I said as I approached, not in the mood to hear anything from anybody in Sorm.

"You are the Earth girl, aren't you?" The voice sounded like the voice of an old woman.

"Indeed I am." I replied half-heartedly.

"Oh good, I just wanted to say good luck, you'll need it."

"Thank you." I was a little surprised, I was sure she was going to ask about Earth, or want me to do something for her.

"I'm certain that in a few days we can all come out of hiding because of you. I'm not one of those fools waiting for the Voratiots, no missy, I am not. I refuse to believe that people who have the nickname 'Terror Bringers' will do any good by me. Now hurry along now, time is wasting."

I thanked her again and left Sorm, its smell, and all the people in it. One of which made my overall opinion just a little bit better. At least I now knew that there was one sane person in that town. As I took my first steps onto the dirt road that would take me to Dimitrius I had a feeling that things were finally going to get better, and my vacation in Hurdeen was about to end. At least I had some great stories to tell, if anyone believed me that is.

The valley ended shortly after leaving Sorm, the exit much narrower than its entrance. A nice country lane was ahead. Trees stood every now and then, their leaves falling all around me. It wasn't too cold now that it was midday. It was like the weather and environment knew some mystery that I did not, and had to get me ready by making me happy. I only hoped it was that I would soon be home. By now I was really homesick, though tried my hardest not to show it. I didn't want anything more than to be back there, with my family, and I would do almost anything to see that I would be.

I started a little hop-skip thing in my mounting excitement of getting home, which is strange considering I felt pretty terrible just a few minutes before, I guess a well timed chat can do that. I didn't think too hard on what that woman said for fear it would bring me back down. Dirt clouds followed in my wake, but I didn't care there was nobody in sight.

And then it hit me, and I came back to reality as quickly as I left it. Why was everybody hiding? Who were they hiding from? How could I have not asked? My forgetting to ask the important questions was becoming a habit here. I had got so worked up in my destiny spiel that I didn't even think about it. I mean how could I not ask them about living in a cave?! How does that make sense? I suppose it didn't matter now, there was no way I was going back and that was final. I'm sure Dimitrius would know he seemed popular there.

I had to get these thoughts out of my head, but they wouldn't go. They clung onto my hidden anxiety, waiting for me to feel good about something. And then they struck, like venom, all around my mind. There was no way to get rid of them once they contaminated all my happy thoughts, turning them, slowly but powerfully, into maddening ideas of loss and death. I might not be in Hurdeen; I may not even be in a coma somewhere. I could be dead. Already buried in a coffin, my family done grieving, already back to their lives. They had one less person to feed; one less to worry about and care for. And maybe that's a good thing, maybe they could do more. My dad might finally take that thing he found and find its use. No doubt it's from here. He could prove to the world that aliens exist . . . but wait! Was that piece of metal from Hurdeen? It couldn't be. If I'm dead then Hurdeen is not real, it's only in my head. So what is that piece of metal?

There were no answers. Really there were not any good questions. I had to get to Dimitrius, and that was it. That was my only real quest, though flawed, just like everything else. The world, both of them, the people, me, and it all was flawed. The people of Sorm lived their lives in hiding, those in Sorm were ignorant. And then there was me in between clashes of two belief systems, two countries. What was I supposed to do? Stop an invasion? Like that would ever happen. The only thing I could do was get home as fast as possible. So I needed to get to Dimitrius. He would help me. I had to keep saying it; it was the only thing keeping me going. If I had thought all hope was lost then I probably would have just gone back to Thurm, but it wasn't lost. I still had one last chance. The council would never let me take the Tekogoly, and even if I managed to get a hold of it, I didn't know how to work it. This was still my only chance, and I would make the most of it.

"You need to clear your mind."

It was Poiye, he stood near a tree to the right of the road. I noticed him a split second before he spoke. By now I didn't care if he was there or not. He wore a nice suit again, but I did not care to notice the details. I ignored him, didn't even look at the tree as I passed. Keeping my eyes forward I marched on.

"The people of Sorm need your help."

He was standing with the next tree, twenty yards ahead of the last one. There is no way he could have run up there, I would have seen him. I was determined not to respond.

"You can't outrun me, I can help you."

Now he was on the left side, leaning against another tree.

"I really can help you."

"Yeah ri—" I almost forgot that I was ignoring him.

"Bessie you need me."

I could tell by his voice that he was wearing that stupid smile I hated so much.

"Dimitrius is not too far beyond."

He was now directly in front of me. I averted my eyes and pushed right by him.

"What you saw in Sorm is an extreme example of this world's extraordinary behaviors compared with your own."

What do you want?!" I finally shouted, sick and tired of his idiocy. "Please tell me because if you don't I'm about to run you through with a sword."

"You don't have a sword."

"How do you know?"

"Listen to me Bessie—"

"NO, no, you listen to me, I'm tired of you, and I'm tired of everything. And you know what? I'm dead, and this must be purgatory because it's surely not heaven, unless this is just a place where people go when they don't know their dead. So guess what? I know I'm dead so just take me away to where I'm supposed to be. Isn't that who you are—the angel of death?"

He smiled.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Your mind has been clouded, you need to refocus and continue on."

"That's another thing; you just disappear and end up other places. Why don't you stop the invasion? Or at least take me to Dimitrius so I can go home."

"You don't think this is your home?"

Was that a question? Did he seriously just ask a question? I was so mad at the time that it took a while for me to even realize that. I wonder why he did that, let it slip? It was so unlike him. I thought he was incapable of it, but I presume not.

"I just want to go home, if you know of any way for me to do that then great, if not then just get out of my way."

"There is a great hostility in you."

"Ya think! Why shouldn't there be?"

"You have not yet completed your mission."

I was just about to really lose it. "I'll be at Dimitrius's soon, and then he'll help me with whatever he is supposed to help me with, which better be a way home."

He didn't say anything; the smile was worth plenty of words. I was on the verge of yelling something when I saw a striking difference in our locale. We were no longer on the road surrounded by trees, but in soft grass. Rock faces of about seven feet high stood on either side, creating a small path that extended onward and then ended in what looked like a dead end. A later observation revealed that it was a maze of rock, and we were at the entrance.

"Where are we?"

He didn't answer.

"This is a new location." I said, once again unsure of how to make what I said a believable statement.

"Welcome to the Forgotten Lands."

"Really?" I said under my breath.

"It is my time to go, but remember, I will always be with you." He walked away from me, along the outside edge of the rock. I watched him, expecting him to disappear, but he did not. I stood for several minutes until he turned a corner.

I stepped into the maze. The grass was tall, hard to walk through, but I managed. The tight corridors got narrower in places, and after a few turns I felt good and lost. There was nothing I could do to remember which turns I had made and where. It wasn't until I had been going for several minutes that I thought I should be keeping track.

Everything started to look the same, and it all was. There was no difference between any path, no crack in the rock, no patch of shorter grass, but I wasn't going to give up, not again. I took a left, then a right, then another left. No good, it was far too late to care to memorize my steps. After a few minutes of wandering about, making sure to keep my head, I found a way out, or thought I did. It was a large clearing with a little pond in the center. On closer inspection I saw that the maze continued on the other side. The pond was pretty, light danced off the surface and into my eyes. I had the sudden idea that I could quickly wash up, but without soap I didn't see the point. The water was so clear I chanced a drink, and it was good. It filled up my two empty water jars, and dumped the remainder of the third just so I could refill it. I didn't even notice how thirsty I was until I started drinking, and then I couldn't stop. Once done I started back in to the maze, certain that I was half way to the exit.

This half was a lot easier, not because I found my way any quicker, but because the water cleared my mind of the remaining dark thoughts that it had latched on to. I almost returned to my skipping, but there were still pressing concerns that kept me walking. And would you believe it? A few turns later I was out and in fresh air. The little rock ledges were still around, but I could tell that they were far apart; surrounding the marshy area I now stood in. The ground was very soft and wet. There were houses here, quaint little one room huts that looked like little cottages. They had stone walls, tiled roofs, and smoke rising from chimneys. It looked just like a painting I saw at a diner near my school.

These houses were connected by a boardwalk. I liked the _clunk clunk_ sound it made when I walked. I had never been to a beach before and wondered if that's how those boardwalks sounded. A man was sitting outside the first house. He had a beard, long hair, and wore Earth clothes, correctly. He nodded in greeting and I did the same. I should have asked him about Dimitrius, after all I had no idea what he looked like. That's assuming that this place is the Forgotten Lands. I wasn't sure how much to trust Poiye. It didn't look much forgotten; in fact it looked really nice. It had natural protection, smelled a good deal better than Sorm, and was far less crowded than Thurm. It actually had one house every two hundred feet or so, in no particular order. Some were close to the boardwalk, some far away. And that's what I liked about it, the controlled chaos of everything. It was not the neat and cookie cutter design that Thurm and Sorm were, it was unique, refreshing, and it gave me a carefree attitude almost immediately.

It was fun going through there, for a while it seemed that nobody else was around, so I was about to go back to the guy I saw, when I came to the last house. It was basically three put together, and I knew somebody important lived there. There was what I believed to be a name etched beside the door, but of course I couldn't read it. There were seven letters so I assumed it did not say "Dimitrius". I knocked anyway. A frizzled old man came to the door; he looked at me, grumbled something, and then closed the door.

"Excuse me," I called, "Do you know where I can find a Dimitrius?"

The door opened slowly, only his eyes peered at me, sideways along the doorframe. "No thank you." He slammed the door in my face.

"I'm not selling something. I'm from Yim; well actually I'm from Earth."

The door opened again, this time his whole face made an appearance. "You what?" And then to himself, "So it's true, those idiots are using my (Unintelligible)" he mumbled the last bit.

"If you know Dimitrius, or are Dimitrius, then I need your help."

"You definitely need some help, but I'm not sure if I can do anything."

"So you are Dimitrius, well it's nice to finally meet you." I said, feeling it was better to start off friendly.

"Not really."

"Excuse me, what is that supposed to mean?"

Friendliness gone.

"If I knew those people at the capital were going to do something this stupid then I would have destroyed the Technology before I left. I never believed that anyone was going to be able to use it."

"Well they did, so just get over it."

He grumbled something.

"It would be nice if you let me in."

"Alright come on."

He held the door open for me and I went in. It was a nice little place. The first room was a sitting area, a door on either side opened up to the other rooms. There were two chairs, a table, and a small window in the back. I took a seat in one of the chairs. He took the other.

We stared at each other for a time, each wanting to figure out the other. He was an old man, older than I had expected, but not too old. He only had wisps of white hair on his head and he wore a cloak that could have easily come from Earth, but I wasn't sure.

"It's nice in here." I said at last.

"Cut to the chase, what is it you want from me?"

"Miggins brought me here using your Tekogoly to stop an invasion by the Terror Bringers, or Voratiots, or whoever they are. I told him that I could not help them and he sent me to you."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he said something about meeting the person who was responsible for getting me here."

"That would be him."

"Yes, but you created the Tekogoly."

"The Technology."

"Whatever, can you help me or not?"

"Help you with what?" His voice rose angrily.

"Help me stop the invasion."

"If they are going to invade they are going to invade. Why would anybody think that you can help stop it?"

"Because you told them I could. Miggins read me things you said about Earth. Apparently it was an Earth that I have never been to."

"Oh," he said under his breath, "that's right I did say some things."

"Yes you did. What was the point in doing that?"

"If you are going to understand it then I have to tell it to you from the beginning."

"Then do it."

He closed his eyes, as if summoning up lost memories, and then began. "I was twenty three when I first started work in Yim. I started out in the kitchens, and it bored me to tears. I wanted something more, so after a few years I transferred to research and development. And to tell you something about Hurdeen, I was the only one there. That was a position they put people in if they didn't want to see them again. Nobody in Hurdeen ever made anything worth using, but I did. A strident young man, I never let them forget me. I was always up there with the council, telling them things that I was working on, fighting for more funding. And to shut me up, they gave it to me. Soon I was creating things left and right. I had a team, I had material, and I was becoming a superstar. Everybody loved me for what I created, but it wasn't enough for me, I wanted to go beyond our limits here in Hurdeen. To explore the world and bring back new ideas, but they wouldn't let me. I began to despise the council, and everyone associated with Hurdeen for obstructing my visions. So I set out to explore without their permission, and when I came back they locked me in my lab. But I would not give up. I intended to make a teleporting machine. After twenty years at it, and with only supervised visits outside, I did it. I was going to leave that place forever.

"I ended up, as you may have figured out, not in Voratiot or any other place here, but in your world. It was so new and interesting, but I was so scared of where I was that I went back. I made a few quick trips to pick up some things to show the council, but they hated where I was going, said it was too dangerous. That it was not right and went against the gods. They said all kinds of things to get me to stop. I could not stop, I was doing what I wanted to do and nobody was going to put a stop to it. They then threatened to cut my funding, to take away my Technology and to lock me away in a vault forever. I had to think up something quick, and so I made up stories of Earth's history. I was now going there so much and staying so long that I learned English, I learned your histories, and used it to my advantage. I admit that when the council began getting bored with the real stories I began taking liberties, mixing in movie plots and book synopses, but what choice did I have? Eventually they did get bored and instead of putting me in a vault, they exiled me here. This is a place that nobody in Hurdeen goes to for fear of the Voratiots who they have branded Terror Bringers to keep their own people in line. Yes they do conquer, and yes they are terrible at times, but other than that there is nothing to worry about. Of course until now when they are getting ready to invade, so I guess they are right to say—"

"So that's it," I started irritably, "That's why I'm here, because you told them all those stories to keep your funding. They think that everyone on Earth has superpowers, and they need me to find mine to stop the invasion."

"That's very curious how stories can get enhanced over time."

"Enhanced? You told them that way yourself."

"I suppose I did."

"And what are you going to do about it now? I still need to come up with some way to stop the invasion or they aren't going to let me go home."

He put his hands up, "Now keep your senses, let's not blow a fuse. I'll simply write you instructions on how to sneak into my lab and use the Technology, and you will be back at home in no time."

"Really?" For the first time in days I felt relieved beyond comparable measures. "Wow, thank you." I sank lower into my chair and fantasized about being home without the sting of not knowing whether it was ever going to happen.

"It's a bit complicated, but I guess if you can find this Miggins character, and you trust him, then he can help you."

"I probably won't tell him, I don't want him to know that I'm going to skip out on everyone." I went back to my glorious thoughts when I suddenly remembered something. "Hang on; he gave me a note to give to you." I pulled the note out of the inside pocket of my jacket and gave it to Dimitrius.

He began to read, "Let's see, oh, well that changes everything." He banged his hands against the arms of his chair. "The idiot, I knew this would happen if anybody used the Technology."

"What, what is it?" I said cautiously.

"He broke it, and that's why he sent you out here."

Good feelings gone, every last one of them. How could he break it and not tell me? I guess he didn't want me mad at him there, rather me be mad far away so I can't do anything about it."

"Can you fix it?" I asked, clinging to my last hope.

"Certainly I can, but it's there, I'm here, and wouldn't you know it, the piece that he broke is only made in Voratiot."

"What? But I thought that they wouldn't let you into Voratiot to get anything."

"Back then there were still merchants who came and went, albeit seldom, but they got me what I wanted without ever having to leave the capital. If the piece was still attached I could just fix it, but it's missing entirely."

"What is it?"

"Think of it like a gas cap. With it gone, all the fuel leaks out on re-entry, which is a bumpy ride, believe me. After two re-entries all the fuel is gone completely. And wouldn't you know it again, the fuel is easiest to get in Voratiot, they use it for their cannons."

"What do we have to do?"

"It looks like _you_ are going to Voratiot."

"I'm not going, at least not by myself."

He sighed deeply, "Well, let's see then, I haven't gone on a journey in a while, my last was to Sorm, and that wasn't very much fun at all. I ended up preaching in a cave, how weird is that? Alright, I'll go, maybe you can actually stop the invasion while you're there. How many days are there left now, I heard when there were fourteen, but I don't remember now."

"I don't remember either, I've spent too much of my time trying to figure out if I was in a coma or—I'm not dead am I?"

"No, you're not dead, unless we all are."

"Okay, so I am just thousands of miles from home."

"What?"

"I said I'm –"

"Where do you think you are?" He said, a smile creeping across his face.

"In Hurdeen, on, well actually I don't even know if this planet has a name."

"You really don't know do you?"

"Know what?"

"This is great, you think that you are on an alien planet, don't you?"

"Well of course I am."

"Young lady—"

"Bessie."

"Bessie, you never left."

This didn't make any sense, of course I left, I saw the space ship. I woke up here, and so then I had to be on a different planet. "If I never left, then where did the Technology take me?"

He leaned toward me, "To a different Earth."

Ch. 13

"Excuse me?"

What did that even mean, "a different Earth"? What was he playing at? How could I be on a _different_ Earth, Is there more than one?

"The Technology does not fly through space, it flies through dimensions."

"Come again?"

"I didn't get it at first either. There is no such thing as different dimensions to the Hurdeen. One day I was in your world, watching television in a guy's house while he was at work, and the most interesting show came on. And they described inter-dimensional travel, and that's when I realized what I had done. That's why everything's so similar, that's why the weather is similar here and there at the same time, because it is the same place."

"Then why is everything so different?"

"I don't know what caused it, but something thousands, or millions of years ago happened differently. It could have been something small like a rock falling off a cliff a different way, but whatever it was it changed the entire outcome of the future, creating a rift in the two worlds. And from there everything got more and more different."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, as far as I could figure."

This was too much for me to handle. I was finally coming to terms with either being dead or on a different planet, now this. Yet at the same time I knew he was right, I'm not sure how, maybe it was his confidence in this theory. I could very well be the first Earthling in a different dimension, and it felt pretty cool. I now had an actual basis for all of my future thought in Hurdeen. Instead of trying to figure out a way to get through space, I had to now get through a dimension barrier.

"Imagine," I said, gears whirring in my head, "if this became sort of a tourist thing. Or better yet, we could move people here. How come you kept this a secret on Earth?"

He looked at me like I had three heads. "This was for me to escape, to have a place to go when I couldn't stand this world. The last think I wanted was for other people to use it."

"Why did you always come back?"

"This is still my home even if I do hate it sometimes. I regret it now, of course, having been exiled here. If I could I would go and stay. Things are much farther along than they are here, much better from my point of view. I would definitely go back. That's the whole point of the Dimitrians, they were supposed to make a lot of noise so the council would realize that they needed me back. Now they are just a bunch of weirdo's who think that they are going to go to Earth."

"Those people love you; they really believe everything you've told them."

"It's not my problem that they're that gullible."

I dropped it there; he was making clear where his opinion stood on the subject of Dimitrians. He created them, and now wanted nothing to do with them. I had wanted to ask a lot of questions, but decided better of it.

"How do your translators work? I mean I get that I can hear them, but how is it that they understand me?"

"The device was implanted into your brain, it works so that when you think about what you are about to say it changes it into our language when you say it. It's very complicated and took years to develop."

"Is that how you understood English?"

"No, I actually learned English by being on Earth so long, and besides, the translator was a prototype then."

I nodded my understanding. With no questions coming to my mind I waited for some from him. He didn't ask any; in fact he didn't even acknowledge my presence for the next half hour or so. I sat in that chair and he wandered about, cleaning a little, carrying a chair in from out back, and then he just left for about twenty minutes. And when he came back he didn't even say anything to me. I was beginning to feel left out, rather awkward, like he didn't even want me there.

"Almost ready?" He asked.

"For what?"

"To go to Voratiot, I thought that was the plan."

"When were you going to tell me this?"

"Again, I thought we had decided that."

"No, but it doesn't matter, I don't have anything to pack."

"Do you know what I think happened? I've been told that I ask questions in my head, and answer them there. In my head you said you were ready."

That was weird, but whatever, we all have our strange little quirks. I have plenty, but I don't think I really wanted to get into those at the moment. "So when are we leaving."

"Right now." He pushed the door open and stepped out, holding it open for me to follow.

He walked quickly, faster than I thought a man of his age would. I found it difficult to keep up, my bag weighed me down. He on the other hand only brought a small sack that he held somewhere in his sleeve. With his hood up I felt like I was being led by the grim reaper.

Within minutes we were at the end of the boardwalk. The walls of the maze, still present throughout the Forgotten Lands, lined a small straight path to a grassy field. I was getting tired of fields, but this time I knew that I had a destination and an actual goal. Though I was feeling reserved about going to a place with people known as Terror Bringers, but felt safe with Dimitrius. At least now I had someone with whom I could talk about Earth, and who knew where they were going and didn't keep disappearing. That reminded me . . .

"Do you know a Poiye?"

"A what-ye?"

"Poiye, it's this guy who keeps popping up and then disappearing after giving me useless information."

"Can't say I know anyone like that."

"I was thinking that he might be using an invention of yours to turn invisible or to teleport."

"I never made anything that could do those things, but now that you mention it that does sound fun."

Now I was really lost on who Poiye was and how he could do the things he could do. I would just have to wait and hope he showed up while with Dimitrius.

We walked for a long time, occasionally we passed a house off in the fields, or saw deer about, but overall a very boring trip. I was used to it by now. We shared a sandwich that he made before leaving, it was good, but I still did not want to find out what kind of meat I was eating. The food went through me quickly; I guess I was burning more calories than I was taking in. I guess I would be pretty fit when I got home.

It got colder as we walked. I zipped up my jacket and wished I had a hood because we had off and on showers throughout the afternoon. I suppose it was a good thing, it was the closest I got to getting a real shower.

It got dark after a few more hours. An empty shack stood off the road. We took shelter there during a particularly hard rain. Hungry, wet, and cold we hunkered down and waited for better conditions. He took my jacket and boots and hung them up next to his cloak to dry. And then we waited. I listened to the patter of the rain on the metal roof. It sounded nice, calming, I was tired and the ground was soft where I sat. My eyelids grew heavy, my mind emptied, I dozed off.

The next thing I know I'm being shaken by Dimitrius. I sit up, he hands me another sandwich, not as fresh as the one the day before, but still good. The sun peeks though a broken window, it is morning.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked after taking an exceptionally tough bite of meat.

"It was late; you looked like you needed the rest, and besides, the rain did not let up until well into the night. Are you ready to continue?"

"Yes, how long until we get there?"

"If you mean Voratiot, we're already there. There is no official dividing line. I always use this old house to determine it. Your boots are still wet but your jacket is fine – good thing it's waterproof."

We got our things and started out. The road was muddy, puddles stood every few feet. The sun was out now, even if it didn't provide very much heat at least it wasn't raining.

"Now I should warn you about the city we are going to. It is much bigger than any in Hurdeen; it's also dangerous because it is run by the military, also known as the Terror Bringers." He said after a while.

"So I should stay with you."

"That would be best."

I could only imagine what big was to someone from Hurdeen, but I forgot that he had been to Earth and probably saw those big cities on T.V. I began to worry that this city might actually be bigger than any I had ever been to, not that it really mattered since I was with someone who knew his way, but it still nagged at me.

"How big are we talking?" I asked.

"Big."

"Like New York City big?"

"Smaller."

"Denver?"

"Never seen Denver."

That was better than nothing; it was smaller than New York. I tried to push it from my mind, but as already demonstrated I'm not very good at that.

"But bigger than Sorm."

"I'm bigger than Sorm."

"Bigger than Yim?"

"It's not subterranean, if that's what you mean. What does it matter to you anyway?"

"Just Curious."

"Look, just stick with me and you'll be fine. And remember to do what I tell you to do."

Back in silence we trudged, after a time in the mud, that's all it could be called, with no end in sight. It was different now that I wasn't alone. I felt like I was possibly taking up his time, a burden. By myself I knew I had to be somewhere and that was it. But now I wasn't sure if he liked where we were going. I guess I try to be a people pleaser, to no success evidently. I could have asked him if he actually wanted to go with me, but he was the one that wanted to go. I felt a little better about it, but I could have sooner if I had just asked.

The grass was replaced by trees, not a full on forest, but enough trees to make me feel like we were surrounded by them. I was having a good time stepping through the leaves on the ground, thinking hard about how things really could have been so different from Earth. There was so much similar, yet so much different. I couldn't figure it out, which was alright. Some things don't have an answer that can be judged by knowing only a small amount of data. This was a mystery; one that maybe didn't even have an answer, and so what? Those were the best kind of mysteries in my book, the ones that could only be guessed at. It was my interpretation verses someone else's, in this case Dimitrius, as I think he is the only person that knows anything about it. And besides, now I decided that I wanted to enjoy my last little bit in Hurdeen, before being sent back to Earth. I didn't take the Technology into account, and how far away it was from where we were, but I was finally seeing the bright side of things, and I don't think I would have traded that peace of mind for anything.

Everything looked a little brighter now that I had a positive attitude. The trees were sending me gifts in leaves, the sun smiled down by lighting my way. Alright that may be an exaggeration of my lifted spirit, but it seems right to say looking back at that time. It wouldn't last too long; at least the tendency to use hyperboles wouldn't last long. A man came from somewhere behind us, running to catch up, and asked us where we were going. Dimitrius told him that we were heading to the city. To which the man told us that the first gate was closed, and we had to go a little to the East to the second gate. We thanked him and strode off the path to the right, heading right into the early setting sun.

"There are gates?"

Dimitrius nodded, "How do you think they keep everyone in? If they didn't have gates everyone would flee to Hurdeen."

"Is it really that bad?"

"You said you went through Sorm?"

"Yes."

"Did you meet anybody?"

"Yes."

"Well their not that bad here, but remember to stay close by, unless I tell you it is safe to go by yourself."

"Does this city have a name?"

"Impiral."

We settled into another silent affair, walking side by side through the afternoon. The sun came down so slowly or maybe it just felt slow because I wanted it to get below the horizon before I went blind trying to go towards it. I kept my eyes down, keeping my eyes closed for almost a minute at a time, trying anything to avoid the sun. I didn't even realize at first when we changed directions. Dimitrius put his arm out in front of me and I promptly ran into it. I opened my eyes, and was truly amazed at what I saw.

Impiral was a sprawling, crowded, overall grimy looking city below us, extending as far as the eye could see to the north. I hadn't realized we had been going up a hill, the ascent was so gradual. The western edge was bordered by trees, and best of all, a sparkling bay to the east. It was the first large water source I had seen.

From above it looked like a dark mess, half covered in shadow from the large hill we now stood on the edge of, and partly because every building had a dark roof. There was no organization to the streets. One started going straight, curved off to the left, and then made a quick turn back on itself. This wasn't an isolated incident, every street had this problem. And then there were the buildings with the dark roofs. They were all of different heights, lengths, and apparently architects because there wasn't one that looked like another. I was impressed by the lack of symmetry, but turned off by the fact that every bit of this place looked like pictures I had seen of slums in India. Smoke rose up from several crudely made smokestacks in the heart of the city; apparently they had some sort of factories in this world.

Dimitrius put his hand on my shoulder, "Welcome to Impiral."

"I think I'm ready to go back now."

"Nonsense, we haven't even gone in yet."

We carefully climbed down the hill, though there was more sliding through mud then anything. By the time I was on the bottom I looked good and soiled, so I probably would fit right in. The entire outline of the city was a metal link fence, rising ten feet in the air. The gate, just an opening in the fence, was well guarded with mean looking men in black. Dimitrius went straight up to one. They talked in whispers I couldn't here. The guard seemed to recognize him, calling him by name (the only thing I heard) and let us in without any fuss.

"You must come here a lot." I said, once out of earshot of the guards.

"I need something to do since I can't freely go through Hurdeen."

"What do you do here?"

For the first time in the twenty four hours that I knew him, he looked nervous. "Oh, I don't know, I wander around meeting people."

This didn't sound very convincing, but who was I to argue? We started down the first street. The buildings were even more disorganized from a street view. None of the windows going up the fronts were the same size, or had any protection from the outside. People wandered about, stopping in front of various stands placed along the side of the street, which was composed of gray gravel I couldn't help but think was once white. The men all wore cloaks similar to the one Dimitrius wore, but much thinner and lower quality. The women wore long, dark, heavy dresses that could have been made of potato sacks for all I knew. Just as anywhere else I had been I got strange looks for my clothes. Nobody came up to ask me about them so I guess they had seen similar somewhere. I got the slightest hint of a sewage-like smell, but it was nowhere near as bad as Sorm.

The military presence was felt right from the beginning. Men in black uniforms marched alone through the streets, glaring at everyone they saw. They wore little black caps that had two symbols in white stitched on them. We passed one of these people and he gave me a very dirty look. I returned it by looking up and down his dour uniform as if they were emitting a most foul stench. Dimitrius saw this and pulled me into an alleyway quickly while the guard yelled at me from the street. He eventually moved on.

"What do you think you are doing? Didn't I tell you not to look at the Terror Bringers?"

"No."

"Well don't, they can arrest you for anything, especially for what you just did. It's a good thing he was in a good mood."

"I definitely view glares and screaming as being in a good mood."

"Don't start, just keep your eyes down and make sure to avoid eye contact with a guard."

We went back to the main road. Up ahead there was a small crowd on the corner. I didn't see a stand, and so became increasingly interested as we approached. Dimitrius wanted to go right past, but I stopped in the crowd and he was forced to come back to get me. There was a woman in the center of it all, she wore a long white dress and was dancing, twisting and twirling, her hands above her head, moving through the air as if through water. There was no music, no sound at all as she danced in silence.

"What is she doing?" I asked Dimitrius.

"Dancing."

"I got that, I mean why is she dancing?"

"She's a Voratiot."

"Which means?"

"If a person is a Voratiot it means that they are devout in their devotion to the god Voratiot. Have you heard the story of the gods?"

"Sort of, I'm sure you could tell it better."

"Maybe another time, just watch for now."

I did as I was told. She moved in strange ways, from twitching, to flowing carelessly like a visible gas. It was mesmerizing, but the whole time I never lost my senses as I do while sitting through a particularly good movie or orchestra. It was almost as if she kept me aware of my surroundings, heightening my senses. I looked at the other people around her, some weren't even looking at her, and others had their eyes closed. I gave Dimitrius a perplexed look; he leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"They think that they can get closer to Voratiot by being close to her, they don't care how she dances, just that she is."

"Why don't they dance?"

"You can't just do any old dance to get close to Voratiot; you have to truly believe in what you are doing, it's easier to get the energy from somebody else."

"What is it going to do for them?"

"It shows Voratiot that they care about him enough to get into his domain after death."

I now felt strange standing there, so we moved on. The next street was shadowed. I looked up and saw that there was a walkway about twenty feet above us; it looked like a rail line for a train, but I saw people going to it and coming down from it every block. It also helped that Dimitrius pointed up to it and said, "That's a walkway".

A few streets later he led me into a distinctly neat building. It was a low grade hotel, or a really nice hotel for their standards. The lobby had a few black metal chairs, I chose not to try them out; they looked uncomfortable. He checked us in, evidently they had openings. The room was on the second floor, I was scared for my life going up the stairs. They were wood and looked like they hadn't checked on in twenty years. The room was nice, cleaner than I expected, I was beginning to have automated negative responses to anything in Impiral. There were two beds, hard, but not too bad. The best part of the whole place was the bathroom, which had a bathtub. Unfortunately I got carried away with my excitement before noticing that there were no faucets. Water was not in huge supply. There was only one pipe in the whole city; luckily it went right under the hotel. The bad part was that the hotel was near the end of the line, and so the water was mostly used up by the time it got there. Dimitrius promised that he would do his best to get a few buckets each for us to bathe, and sent me to find something to trade with so we could eat since his remaining sandwiches were no longer good.

I showed him the bronze doohickeys that Angeela gave me, as they were the only things I had worth trading. He told me that they were actually random pieces of an engine that he created for the prototype of the Technology, but it never worked right. He wasn't sure how Angeela got them, but we figured she traded them for something before finding out how useless they were. She probably hoped that I could find someone who wanted them. They may have been useless in Hurdeen, where actual technology is frowned upon, but they would probably go for a lot in Impiral. This made me wonder why some people took them in Thurm. Dimitrius said that even though technology is not used in Hurdeen, people still want some to show to their friends.

I left the hotel feeling braver than usual; perhaps because Dimitrius thought enough of me to let me go alone through the streets he harped about so much. There happened to be a stand across from the hotel, thus I started there. The guy was selling little strudel things with grape filling. I showed him the first of the bronze contraptions and he gaped at them. After a full minute of dancing around his stall he gave me six strudels for just the one bronze thingy. I had a feeling this was going to be a good outing.

I didn't even bother to see what the next stall was selling, I showed them the engine piece and they flipped out, giving me two whole loaves of bread. It's a good thing I actually looked over the next stall first before deciding to move on, because that one was selling little wood figurines. Not that they weren't beautifully carved, but my mission was to get food. My search took me to the next street, which was filled with clothes lines above the street but below the walkway, I felt like a little kid about to cross the street for the first time. Should I really do it, or wait for Dimitrius? Oh, I'll be fine.

There were no vendors at all on the next street, but there was an entrance to the skywalk as it was known. I couldn't resist, it looked so cool. The steps were made of stone, but since the hotel I was keeping a close eye on where I was putting my feet. There was a great view from the top, I could see down the streets until they suddenly turned around, the hill from where we first saw the city, and an abnormally large and proportioned building that stuck up from the rest, but not too much taller. It was solid black, with a bell tower on the top. It was very nice, but also very ominous. It had to be an important building to be so tall and stand out so much. I watched it, expecting all the secrets to find my mind. I took a mental note and started for the next exit point. It wasn't too far away; I was now on the next block over. I quickly traded the last two engine parts and went back to the hotel.

Dimitrius brought up the three promised clay buckets of water and I showed him all the food I got. He was just as excited to see that as the merchants were of seeing the engine parts. He laid down a mat we found in the room, and we were ready for dinner. I gave him one of the two jars of juice I got for trading the last part and I took the other. We split up the bread, the strudels, and the cooked meat I got when the seller threw it in with the juice. He took the bread to eat later, which was alright because we had so much left over. After a few minutes we were stuffed for the first time in days, or years for Dimitrius.

"Why were those people so eager to get the engine parts?" I inquired after finishing my last little bit of grape strudel.

"Anything that can be traded to the Terror Bringers is worth a lot."

"What do the Terror Bringers want with them?"

"Who do you think made the water pipe?"

"So they actually do _some_ good?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, name one ruthless dictator bent on conquering that did not do at least some good."

"I can think of several."

"Alright, but you will admit that there are some that do good, look at Napoleon, he did so many good things for France. The Russians probably didn't like him too much, but that's another story."

"Some Russians liked him; he was basically a superstar back then."

"True, maybe he wasn't the best example since he did so much good."

"Yeah, wait! What else do the Terror Bringers do that's good?"

"That's about it actually, other than the pipe they have ravaged their own people and everyone they've conquered."

"So I guess I really should be trying to stop the invasion." I said sullenly.

"Back to that are we? Well alright, in the morning we should go see the leader of the Terror Bringers and see if we can't talk him out of it."

"And how are we going to manage that? They'll probably kill us for going near the leader."

"Not true, I go see him every now and then."

"Why?"

He got real nervous again, "Uh . . . hey, why don't you take a bath you stink."

"I do not, well I guess I do, but that's not my fault."

"Oh, okay, sure."

It was nice to finally get a bath; I hadn't realized how dirty I was until I was clean. The water was freezing by that point, but I suffered through it, and it was worth it, I felt better than I had in a while. The only bad part had to be putting the same dirty clothes on. I wished the Terror Bringers would have brought in a Laundromat with the water. Dimitrius took a bath after me. I got ready for bed, wishing for pajamas and a toothbrush. It was only late evening, but I was so tired that I fell asleep almost instantly after lying down.

Ch. 14

Dimitrius shook me awake, which was becoming a regular thing. I got up, drowsy but feeling better than when I woke up the day before on the floor of a shack. New clothes were at the foot of my bed. There was a t-shirt, a heavy gray sweater, and a pair of blue jeans.

"How did you get these?"

"The guy I originally sold them to gave them to me. I hope they fit; I wasn't sure what size you wear."

I put them on, gladly getting rid of my old dirty clothes. The pants fit; the sweater was a bit big. I threw the dirty clothes in a corner near the door.

"Keep the jacket, we'll be going north today."

I put the jacket back on, but that was the only thing I kept.

"But first we need to go see the leader of the Terror Bringers, and see if we can't fulfill that promise you made."

"I can't talk to them, you should; you already know them."

"I'm not from Earth, and let me say that I told them the same stories I told the Hurdeen."

An hour later we were walking up the steps of that large black building with the bell tower that I saw from the skywalk the day before. The inside was even more formidable than the outside. A large staircase stood in front of us, black railings and red steps. The walls were all covered with the same blood red plush carpeting that covered the floor. It was eerily quiet; each footstep sent a muffled echo throughout the hall. A door stood on either side of the stairs, but we went up to the second floor. There was only one door here, guarded by a Terror Bringer. He stood aside when he saw Dimitrius, another reason to worry about his dealings in Impiral. Personally I would be ashamed that people known as Terror Bringers were alright with me coming and going to their leader.

We went down a long hallway and came to double doors. He knocked and a man stuck his face through a gap in the door.

"Whatchu want?"

"Here to see the leader." Dimitrius said calmly.

"Ah, Dimi, well of course you can come in, but who's your friend?"

"This is Bessie, she's with me."

The man opened the door, "Real nice to meet you, miss."

I nodded and tried a smile, but I think it came out as more of a snarl.

I was now in the leader's office, in it stood a large bare desk with a green couch facing it. A man sat at the desk, he had facial hair, not really a full beard, more like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He wore the black uniform, with nothing to show that he was the leader. He stood up and told us to have a seat on the couch. He wasn't terrible looking at all; in fact he looked rather nice.

"This is leader Caib, Bessie." Dimitrius said as if showing a little kid a giraffe for the first time.

"Nice to meet you sir." I said. I immediately wished I hadn't been so nice, seeing as he was inadvertently the reason I was even there.

"What seems to be the business today, Dimitrius?" Caib asked tiredly.

"It's actually Bessie's business today, sir."

"You're not going to se—"

"Just Bessie, sir!" Dimitrius suddenly shouted.

There was an awkward moment where Caib frowned threateningly at Dimitrius, evidently not used to being interrupted. "Well then let's hear what you have to say, Miss Bessie." His voice spit poison.

Leave it to Dimitrius to anger an invading leader right before you ask that leader not to invade. "Sir, I need to ask you to reconsider invading Hurdeen." I said quickly, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

He looked me over for a good long time before speaking. "You said your name was Bessie? An Earth name, are you a Dimitrian? I know those nuts like changing their names for when they go to Earth."

"No."

"So you . . . oh, I know who you are. It's true; who would have thought it was even possible. I thought only one could fit in that machine of yours."

"Yes." Dimitrius said.

"I guess it broke."

"That's true."

"And you can't get home."

I didn't answer, I was finally brave enough to look him in the eyes, and I didn't look away.

"This is interesting, isn't it Dimitrius?"

"Yes sir." He was reduced to staring at the floor; I took the bravery for both of us.

"So are you going to stop the invasion?"

"No." He sat back, waiting for my response.

"What is the reasoning behind it?"

"I want to rule Hurdeen, is there something wrong with that?"

"Yes, invading anybody is wrong."

"I don't see it that way. Wouldn't it be nice for everyone to be under the same authority? Trade routes without hindrance, a unified government, and even – don't faint – one leader not that mess of a council that Hurdeen has."

"All that sounds good in theory, but your theory varies greatly from mine. A military state is no place for freewill."

He leaned in as close as he could over the desk, "Bessie, you've now seen Impiral, and what do you see? There are no fights, no mess, and no awful Dimitrians – no offence Dimitrius."

"None taken, I can't stand them myself."

"This isn't right, and you know it." I held my ground.

"Bessie you need to see it from my point of view, if you –"

"See this from Hurdeen's point of you, but you can't because all you do is sit here and give orders. You have no idea what those words mean when followed through!" I yelled.

Instead of glowering at me like he did Dimitrius when interrupted, he simply stared with a mysterious smile on his face. "You think so? Why don't we make this interesting?"

"What do you mean?"

"I promise not to invade Hurdeen, if you do not leave Voratiot."

That didn't sound good; in order to get home I needed to get back to Hurdeen. I was at a loss for words, and looked to Dimitrius for support. He was still too preoccupied with his shoes to help me.

"No deal, if you do not stop the invasion then I will destroy every Terror Bringer in Voratiot." This sounded really stupid, even with the confidence backing my words; I just hoped Caib really did believe all those stories.

He did not look worried, "What is your power exactly?"

"I can . . . um . . . I can't tell you."

"That's what I thought." Caib whispered, "It's time for you to get out of my office. And remember Bessie, if you leave – no more Hurdeen. Have a good day."

Dimitrius walked straight out of the office, I was about to follow, but turned back to Caib feeling extra dangerous. "If you choose not to listen to anything like you've clearly done your whole life, then remember one thing: This world was meant for the brave and the good, your time will only last so long. If you invade Hurdeen, they will fight back."

"The invasion rests on you now."

"You could have helped me back there." I said to Dimitrius as we walked back to the hotel a few minutes later.

"What was I supposed to say?"

"Anything, it would have been better than just sitting there letting me get all his force."

"Look what you've done, you did something you didn't think you could do – talk to the leader of the Terror Bringers."

I ignored him, I had a feeling that everything just got a lot worse. And now to add to it I couldn't leave Voratiot. At least I felt braver than I ever did before, that had to be good. If I could just sneak out of the city then I could warn everyone in Hurdeen to escape before they came, but what good would that do? When they went back home they would be in Voratiot. Unless they didn't go back, that would take some convincing but it was possible. I let that thought fade away until I thought up an alternative.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" I asked after we were safely within the hotel room.

"We go north, lucky for us that area is still in Voratiot. We need to go and get that fuel and that missing part, both of which are available there."

Without another word we snacked on the bread, saving most of it for the trip, and headed out with all of our things, which was not much. Dimitrius checked out of the room at the front desk and we were off to the North.

We took the skywalk, which I had to pretend was new to me. It was a long stretch just to get to the last exit, all the way at the other end of the city, near the large bay. There we went into a building that looked like a small train station, and then I heard the whistle and realized that in fact it was a train station.

"They have trains here?" I asked after Dimitrius handed me a ticket he bought from a booth at the entrance. It was a little piece of paper that had those unrecognizable symbols on them.

"Oh, yes, interesting huh." He seemed to be hiding something, but I didn't think much of it at that moment.

The train was small, only three cars, but it looked very much like the ones on Earth. We took a seat in the very back. There were about fifteen rows of hard metal benches in each car. The overall look was something akin to pictures of nineteenth century train cars that I had seen, except less comfortable. Of course I don't know how comfortable those trains were from the pictures. The train started and soon we were out of Impiral, coasting through barren lands with the occasional dead tree. I was instantly glad I got to walk through boring fields and not this.

We were sitting alone with only one other person in the car, all the way in the front. We felt it easy to talk without being overheard. There was no talking at first; we spent the first part of the ride looking out the window keeping to ourselves. The train slowed to its first stop twenty minutes in. It was a small station, just a covered walkway in the middle of nowhere. I looked closer and saw what could have been a village in the distance. The buildings didn't look any different than they did in Sorm, but nicer. Nobody got on in our car, and soon we were back at full speed, about thirty miles per hour if I had to guess.

Two stops later the man in the front got off, again in the middle of nowhere. There was no heat on the train, and it began getting really cold. After a while I noticed snow falling, and then we were in a full on snow storm. It was nice to look at, but I had the sinking feeling that we would have to travel by foot in the snow when we got off. Dimitrius told me that ours would be the next stop after taking off from yet another tiny station.

"Is it going to be an actual town, or the middle of nowhere?"

"At first the middle of nowhere, but we will get to a town after a short walk."

"How short?"

"A mile or two."

That day was turning out to be the worst one yet. When we got off the train we were met with an ice cold wind that whipped right through my sweater. I zipped up my jacket and it helped a little but I was still freezing. Unfortunately I had left my gloves at the hotel; they were fingerless, but better than nothing. We started from the station, another covered walkway, into the snow. It was only a few inches, but with so much falling, it was bound to get deeper. There was nothing in sight and I had to continually promise myself that two miles was a lot shorter a distance then I thought. It wasn't. It took forever to get anywhere. I could see – when I was brave enough to lift my head – a mountain in the distance, its top disappearing in the low clouds. We were going straight to it.

As soon as we went two miles – or twenty in my recollection – we stumbled upon a small village almost invisible in the current conditions. Dimitrius led the way straight to a small wood house, he knocked. A woman answered the door. They talked for a minute, I was too busy freezing to care what was said, and then she let us in. It was so nice to be inside, a fire (in a wood house!) burned in the corner. I sat in front of it warming myself as all the snow melted off onto the floor. The woman brought me a cup of tea with loose leaves and began talking with Dimitrius somewhere behind me.

"I ran out a few days ago, haven't had a chance to get more with all the snow we've been getting." She said.

"Do you know if anybody here has any?"

"Not to my knowledge, if you want any you are going to have to go up the mountain."

"What?!" I said once my brain thawed enough to understand what was said.

"Yes, go up the mountain, it's not that bad, there's a path."

"But the snow, you said yourself that you couldn't make it." Dimitrius said.

"I said I didn't have a chance to go, I could if I really wanted to, but I don't, not in this weather."

"Alright, how about that part I need."

"Mackie might have one; he's the one we call if anything's broken. He can fix anything and has parts for all kinds of things."

"Where can we find him?"

"He's in the house next to the mountain path."

"Thank you very much, we'll be going now, come on Bessie."

I hated having to go back outside, especially since I was just beginning to get warm. The village was so small that it took us only seconds to locate the house. The mountain loomed in front of us, and I wanted very much to not have to climb it in the snow.

"Were you talking about the fuel being up the mountain?" I asked.

"Yes, the man who bottles it and sells it lives up there."

He knocked on the door. A man in his mid twenties opened the door; he wore long pajamas that looked straight out of one of those pictures of the old trains. He let us in, and again I went straight to the fire. The room was filled with all sorts of tools and gadgets on the walls, most of which I had never seen before, and did not believe had any purpose to them at all.

"We are looking for a fuel stopper, one that can handle marsh oil."

The man thought for a second, scratching his small goatee, "I think I have one of those. They actually come in high demand in the summer, since we are the only suppliers of marsh oil." He rummaged through a crate, pulling out a white rectangular object with a chord poking out the side.

I took one look at the thing and jumped up, memories filling my mind of the last time I saw one. Dimitrius gave the guy the rest of his loaf of bread for it and put it in an inside pocked of his cloak. We thanked him and left. I could barely suppress my enthusiasm, managing to keep it in until the door was closed.

"I've seen one of those!" I cried at the start of the mountain path. My excitement about the fuel stopper made me temporarily forget how cold it was.

"Where did you see one of these?"

"My dad found one a few weeks before I was taken. That was the first time I heard the Technology."

"And you say that was weeks before being taken?"

"Yes, is that strange, does the fuel not last that long without a stopper?"

"This thing is basically a gas cap. When it fell off the engine knew something was wrong and the Technology went into safety mode, meaning that only a few more trips can be made on it before the system shuts down completely until a new one can be found. That was all just another way that I could make sure that I was the only one who could use it. People who didn't know about the safety mode would conclude that they broke it or it died because something vital was missing. In the letter MIggins wrote me he said that he thought the missing piece was an important part of the engine. The strange thing is I don't get why Miggins waited for several weeks before going back to Earth to get someone, assuming that the first time you heard it, the time the fuel stopper came off, was just a practice run."

"Who knows, maybe he tried to fix it himself."

The mountain path was actually very gradual, but that means it took a long time to get to the top. The good feelings I got from seeing the stopper were not as strong as when I saw the picture my dad showed me. This time I got excited mainly because I had seen one before, not solely from seeing it like last time.

"Dimitrius, something strange happened when my dad showed me the fuel stopper the first time. It was only a picture yet I got really excited, and when he put it away it felt like something was taken away from me. It was really weird."

He laughed, "It is strange how that works. I first noticed that effect when I brought food over from Hurdeen into your world. Some guy saw me eating it and came up to me trying to buy it from me. It was scary to be honest how the guy reacted. I assume, and can only assume, that it has something to do with your unconscious brain. When that guy saw the food, or when you saw the fuel stopper, your minds knew it was so different, so out of your world that they told you it was something worth having, worth investigating."

"Then why don't I have that all the time here, and why didn't that guy do the same to you."

"He could have felt that way about me. As for you, I think that since you are here, and everything is out of your world, that it overwhelmed your mind. Making it feel like nothing was really all that different because everything was. Again you can't take too much stock in my hypothesis, it could be completely wrong."

"It sounds like a good explanation to me."

The path grew steep, and the conversation ended there. There were a few minutes where we were practically climbing up a vertical ledge. My hands were practically screaming to be covered, what with the rough rocks and freezing temperatures, but I had nothing for them. It took longer than I want to recall, but we did get to the top before freezing to death, though it took at least an hour. We huddled together for the last ten minutes, but I couldn't tell a difference.

It turns out that the mountain is actually an extinct volcano. There was a large crater at the top, filled with ice. Ten or so natural stone pillars stuck up above the ice, and I was immediately captivated by what was on top of each. The gray light coming down was enough to perfectly illuminate ten tall people that were dancing on the pillars. They wore what looked flowing clothes made of ice, and they twirled and twisted in place, their hands in the air moving as if through water. Their faces were perfect, as if created by a computer for a movie. They all had their eyes closed. They were focusing their attention elsewhere.

"Remember that dancer in Impiral? She took her moves from the Ice Dancers. I've never seen so many at one time before." Dimitrius said.

"Are they people?" I had to ask, there was so much doubt in me.

"Who knows, they are too tall to be any humans I've ever seen, but that doesn't mean that they aren't."

They were tall, all about the same height, looking to be at least nine feet tall. I wanted to stay there and watch them, feeling the immersion in their dance that the dancer in Impiral failed to achieve. Dimitrius, who appeared to be used to them, continued on to a small house on the edge of the crater. I followed; my need for warmth outweighed my want to watch the dancers.

We were let in by an old man. The house was actually a lab, with tanks half filled with strange liquids taking up several tables. A fire roared at the other end of the room in a fireplace. I went to it and warmed myself while Dimitrius did the talking.

"We need Marsh oil." Dimitrius said.

"Ah, yes, marsh oil." The man went around looking for some.

I looked out a small window and watched the ice dancers. Despite having their eyes closed they were in complete unison with each other. I was captivated once again, but how could I not be? There was something so pure, so right with what they were doing. I got caught up looking at their arms, their legs, moving to an unknown beat, maybe a nonexistent beat.

"You ready, Bessie?"

"What?"

I came back to reality with a jolt. Dimitrius was standing behind me holding a large jar of green liquid I took to be marsh oil. "You've been staring out that window for ten minutes, let's go."

We left and headed back around the crater. I couldn't account for the last ten minutes at all. Had I really been watching them for that long? I stole a glance at the closest one; it was so much more calming outside with it. I just wanted . . . one . . . more . . . look . . .

"Bessie, let's go its freezing."

"What?"

I came back with more of a strain. I felt as though I had been jarred awake. "How are they doing it? Why are they so mesmerizing?"

"Well they have to eat don't they?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, they get people hooked and then swoop in for the kill."

"They're cannibals?"

"If they're humans, yes."

"If not?"

"Then they're not cannibals."

So much of the admiration I had for them vanished in a flash. I didn't take another look at those dancers, now feeling that I could be food with just a glance. The path down wasn't as bad on the way up. It took about half the time. We spent a few minutes warming up at the house that we stopped at, and then it was back outside.

Next thing I know we are on the platform waiting for the train back to Impiral. It was lightly snowing; the clouds were dense, dark. It was hard to believe it was only evening. The glow of gas lamps were the only source of illumination. It was so cold I didn't know how I would last another minute, let alone however long the train would take to get there. A man came up and stood on the same side of the platform. That was a good sign. Sure enough the train came five minutes later. We took our seats in the middle car of the train this time. It wasn't exactly warm onboard, but there was no wind or snow, so that was a start. There were a few other people in that car, so we talked in hushed tones in the back.

"Can we talk about religion now?" I asked once we were on our way.

"What do you want to know?"

"Is it similar to those on Earth? I know a little bit, but not much."

"It is similar, but even those religions differ greatly from one another."

"True."

"But here is a brief overview. There were two leading families in this area."

"I know about them fighting over power. I wondered if there were traditions, heroes, saints, and things like that."

"Not really, this is a simple religion, for simple people. For the most part there are no religious leaders except for the occasional church, but those priests aren't used very much. Churches are used mainly for individual worship. No saints, there is to be nothing in between the people and whichever god they look to."

"What do you believe?"

"I've always been critical of the religion here. But when I went to Earth, I really liked the ones I saw."

"Why?"

"I don't know I just did. Maybe they were just new and exciting to me."

"I've been wondering, are there any known places besides Voratiot and Hurdeen?"

"No, nobody explores. And there are hindrances. There's the bay to the east, mountains to the north, desert to the west, and the ocean to the south. But I always wanted to . . ."

He suddenly stopped, looking behind us. I looked back and saw the man who was on the platform with us staring our way. He did not let up when we looked back. Dimitrius grabbed my arm and brought me close, whispering in my ear.

"He's a Terror Bringer."

"How can you tell?"

"You see that symbols on his hat, those are the initials for Terror Bringer."

He wore a winter hat, not like the ones that were worn in the city, so I hadn't noticed it before. "Why is he here?"

"I don't know, but I want you to go into the first car. Just walk straight to the front and don't look back."

I did as I was told. Halfway through the car I heard someone get up behind me. I tried to keep my head facing forward, but it was very hard. Dimitrius was greeting the man, and then – bang! I looked back. Dimitrius was on the ground and the man was running straight at me. I had no time to think; I ran straight for the door and got through it just in time, slamming it in his face behind me. I was outside in between the two cars. The door to the first car was locked – no time, I had to react. I jumped onto the ladder next to the door and went up to the roof.

I didn't hear the man behind me, not that I could have come to think of it the train was so loud. I felt just a little safer. The wind was brutal, rushing straight through me as I was on my knees, too afraid to stand. The train rattled beneath me, every little curve and I was certain I would fall right off. I made my way to the other end of the car. The view was great if in a better circumstance. I couldn't see much with snow flying in my face, but I could tell we were heading through a mountain pass, everything white from snow, dark from nearing night. I began to worry that I would have to stay up there when I saw the man climb onto the top where I had done the same.

I tried to stand. The train hit a turn and I collapsed onto my stomach, grabbing anything I could to keep from flying off. My hands were frozen, but I couldn't worry about that at the moment. Once on a straight path I stood, inching backward, forgetting completely that I was already on the edge. I looked back, and without enough time to realize how stupid it was, I jumped to the last car. I slipped and barely held on.

I looked up; the man was walking straight to me, as if it was that easy to walk along the top of a train. I crawled back, my only hope was to get to the very back and get in that car. I was halfway there, so close, but I had to look back. He was right there. I flipped to the front and crawled backward with him bearing down. He pulled out a dagger and held it up, about to come down with my finishing blow.

"What do you want?!" I screeched, hysterical.

He didn't say a thing. I came to the edge of the car, not the back edge but the side; I hadn't been looking where I was going. I looked down at the speeding ground, trying quickly to figure out what my best chance of survival was, the dagger, or the ground. I looked up again; the dagger was coming down, straight at me.

"Aaaaagh!"

Dimitrius came out of nowhere to tackle the assailant. The dagger fell and was wiped from the train, into the growing darkness. The two of them wrestled, I could only see a mess of cloth and the occasional hand, punching and clawing. And then, to my scream into the screech of brakes, one of the bodies disappeared over the edge. My immediate reaction was to jump onto the one left.

"What are you doing? It's me!"

"Oh, sorry."

I helped Dimitrius up to his knees. We were both too tired to talk, we just sat. The train came to a stop at the next station and we went back down to our seats. Nobody was left in the car. I didn't care where they were, they didn't help me. It took time for me to stop shaking, long after I was warmed up. How could that have happened? Why did it happen? Who was that guy? When I felt up to it, after getting over a bout of nausea, I asked my savior those questions.

"I have an idea, but I hope it's not so." He said, already far more calm than I was.

"What do you think?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Tell me now."

"Bessie, I want you to know that that was a fluke, nobody is after you."

I hadn't thought anybody was after me, but I certainly did after he said that. I know he didn't want me to worry, but I really wanted to know what he thought. I could tell he had an idea of what was going on.

He saw me shaking and put his arm around me. I buried my face in his cloak, wanting to just get over that scared feeling. The cloak smelled good. I felt protected there next to him, and found myself falling asleep.

The train came to its final stop and I was shaken awake, gently this time. We got off and went into the night. He kept his arm around me as we meandered through the city, across the skywalk, and down the familiar street back to the hotel. It was all a blur of city lights and murmuring people.

Dimitrius paid for another night at the same place. I got into bed as soon as we were in the room, but I couldn't get to sleep. I heard Dimitrius walking around, getting ready for bed himself. It wasn't until sometime later that I finally dozed off. I was full of all the exhaustion of a day of freezing cold, people eaters, and almost being killed.

Ch. 15

I woke with a start. There was something nagging at me. I felt as though I had a research paper due and I just now remembered. What was it? The anxiety was getting worrisome when I remembered what happened the day before. I told myself that that guy had confused me with somebody else. That was the only way I could calm myself down.

I honestly don't remember what happened that morning. Dimitrius gave me some fresh bread he got somewhere. My thoughts were clouding up my mind, nothing else seemed to matter. I took another bath, not because I really needed it, but because I needed something to do, to have a place to think. Nothing got resolved. I now had so many things going wrong that I thought about just getting to the Technology and leaving, but then I'd think of Miggins, Janey, and all the other people I met. I knew that I wasn't going to leave them without at least trying to help stop the invasion. I had no clue what to do. I was out of ideas, not that I ever had any good ones to begin with.

"What are we going to do?" I asked Dimitrius some ten minutes later, my voice emotionless.

"I've been thinking about that. For now I think we should stay here, but I want to go see Caib again. See if we can get this thing sorted out so you can go home."

"What about the invasion?"

"Look, there's no reason why you should have to be involved in this. This whole mess is between Voratiot and Hurdeen. The plan now is to sneak you to the Technology and get you home. And who knows, maybe I'll come and visit you some time."

I agreed to this, at the moment just wanting to get home. We went to see Caib. They let us in again, and we were back in that office by midmorning.

"Nice to see you again, Bessie." Caib said sweetly.

I ignored him.

"Sir, we need to ask you to let Bessie out of Voratiot." Dimitrius said.

"It's nice to see you, Dimi, you weren't really even here last time."

"Yes sir, now about Bessie."

"I see no reason to change my first decision."

"But she needs to get home."

"And I need Hurdeen."

Dimitrius made several noises, as if trying to decide which one he should use to start off with. "Um, it would be easy to reconsider."

"Nope, I either want the Earthling in Voratiot, or Hurdeen. I can't have both."

Dimitrius and I looked at each other for a second. This wasn't turning out too well. I didn't have anything to say, nor wanted to be in that office at all.

"Sir, if you would just let her leave, she has nothing to do with Hurdeen."

"No, and that's final, so you might as well just leave."

I stood up and was almost to the door when Dimitrius finally followed behind me. In the hallway we whispered, not wanting anybody to overhear.

"Now what?" I asked, feeling that everything was even more hopeless than before.

He didn't answer. The guard who let us in was standing right outside the door, blocking the stairs. Dimitrius went up to him and asked him to move, he would not. We moved down the hall, looking for a different way down to the first floor. More guards blocked both ways, we were trapped.

"Now what is all this about?" Dimitrius asked, clearly getting nervous.

They moved in from all sides.

Dimitrius grabbed me and pushed me behind him. "Now there's no reason for this."

All three lunged. We pushed forward as fast as we could, barely squeezing by the one in front of us, and streaked down the stairs and through the door. Once in the street we ran for it, pushing people out of our way, knocking some down, but it didn't matter. We had to get as much space between us and our attackers as possible. Up this street, down that street, I had no idea where we were going. We dove into some building, both so tired and exhausted. We weren't specific on where we hid. Dimitrius pulled me along to a table and I sat, apparently in a restaurant. More like a bar really, there were people up at the counter drinking something that I can only describe as mud.

A waiter came over and Dimitrius asked for two waters. And then we waited, hoping nobody would find us. The water came and I drank it down, not even doing my usual inspection like I do at most places I eat. My mind was too preoccupied with almost getting killed two days in a row.

"Bessie?" Dimitrius said quietly.

"Yes."

"I think it's time you leave Voratiot."

I scoffed, "I would love to, but I can't, not until we convince Caib to let me."

"Bessie, there's no point, he won't do it."

"I know, but we can still try, I can't let them invade, that's the whole point why I'm here."

"Bessie!" He slammed his cup on the table, everyone was staring. "He won't change his mind. Trust me; I've done a lot of business with him."

"Excuse me?"

"I . . . I am the reason there's a railroad. I am the reason they want to invade Hurdeen. They want to get to Earth. They want the Technology; I've told them so much about it." He spoke quietly, shamefully.

It took me a minute to wrap my mind around what I just heard. I took it one part at a time. "You brought the plans for the train from Earth. You told them about the Technology so they would get it for you. And Earth, why do they want to get to Earth?"

"They needed incentive to invade."

"You lied to me." I blurted out, not really knowing what I was saying.

"I never lied; I simply did not tell the whole story."

I felt betrayed, angered to the point where all the previous week's happenings burst out of me. "The only reason why I am here is because of you."

"Yes, but now we need to go, no more secrets. If we can sneak out of the city –"

"Why would you ever expect me to go anywhere with you? I have endured the most trying week in my entire life, all because of you! I'll have better luck on my own, I have so far."

I ran out of the restaurant before he could respond. I sprinted through the streets, toward where I thought the gate would be that we came in at. I didn't have a plan. That much was evident. I had just left my only hope of survival, the one that kept me alive twice now, just because I was mad, because I felt like he had something to do with my predicament.

The gate eventually presented itself to me. The guards stood with their backs to me, checking in a man with a cart full of vegetables. I got past them with ease. I ran up the hill hearing noises close behind, they were coming. My knees slipped on muddy patches, smearing my pants with brown. My hair was plastered to my forehead with sweat, falling before my eyes as I climbed. At the top I took a quick glance back and to my surprise there was nobody there. Nobody was chasing me after all. I dropped to my knees, breathing heavy as I looked down on Impiral, realizing only too well what my departure meant: the invasion was about to begin.

I had to warn Hurdeen, if somebody listened; actually heeded my warning then I would feel better about leaving. As long as I tried I would feel better about leaving. But I wouldn't be able to get home. I didn't have the fuel stopper or the marsh oil. It was at this point that I really felt stupid about leaving Dimitrius.

It was too late to look back, I had to warn everyone. Thankfully I brought my backpack along when we went to see Caib, and so I had at least a day's ration of food in bread, and several days' worth of water. I turned from Impiral and the bay I never got to see up close, and started back for Hurdeen, with any luck I would get there before the Terror Bringers.

For the first part of the journey I disappeared in thought about what I would do if caught. Every one ended the same, with me bashing a few Terror Bringers around for fun before Caib personally surrendered to me. These were fun for me to daydream about. They greatly brightened my mood and help pass the time.

The sun slowly creped across the sky, each passing minute under its light had me feeling worse and worse about how I left Dimitrius. It was a feeling of pure shame; I was sharing an embarrassed silence with myself. To make things worse I knew that each step was taking me one step farther from getting home. I had to do something. I thought about waiting just in case Dimitrius was coming up behind me. I flipped around but there was nobody there. I turned back and Poiye was standing right in front of me.

"Jeez," I yelled, "don't sneak up on someone like that."

"You made a bad decision today." He said. Today he wore a green suit with a black tie.

"Thank you for that, I hadn't realized."

"You can make it right."

"No I can't, I've already left. I can't chance getting caught or killed by going back."

Poiye stopped suddenly right in front of the shack Dimitrius and I stayed in a few nights before. "You can wait in the Forgotten Lands for him, he will be happy to see you."

"You didn't appear for him."

"My place is with you."

I walked past him and the shack. I did not know where I was headed; I didn't really believe that anybody would listen to me if I told them to flee. I mainly wanted to get away from Poiye.

"You need to give yourself a chance to set things right, you are the only one who can." He said, walking beside me.

"I don't believe that."

"You don't have to, not now, not ever, but you need to know that some believe it."

"Just go away."

"I can help you." He stopped walking.

I turned back to him, "No you –" I was brought to a halt. It was suddenly dark; behind Poiye was a low wall of rock.

I looked slowly around at the wall, at the boardwalk under my feet, and at the three huts that make up Dimitrius's house. Everything else was too hard to see in the dark, except for a few fires in the distance, coming from other huts.

"How did you . . .?"

"He's here, and he's ready to see you." He stepped back into the darkness, I had a feeling he was gone.

There was no reason to think that I had teleported, after all the sun was now down, and it definitely wasn't before. The only explanation that came to me was that we walked this whole way and I don't remember it. Is that possible? I suppose, but it was as unlikely as teleporting.

I walked up to his home, thinking that if the conversation went south, at least I could get the things I needed. And then I could go warn people, and get out before they expect me to get superpowers. It was my best bet to get out of Hurdeen alive. My hand knocked on the door, and I waited. Dimitrius came to the door; he took one look at me and stepped out of the way.

"I thought you would have been back in Yim by now." He said as we took our seats.

"How long was I gone?" I asked, worried that weeks had passed.

"You don't remember that you left me sitting in that bar this morning with guards all around looking for us?"

"Sorry about that and sorry for what I said."

"I'm sorry as well, I never meant for you to be here."

"I know."

"I suppose you came for the oil and stopper."

"I did, but I wonder if it would be possible for you to come with me, nobody knows the Technology like you."

He sighed deeply, "I'm done, Bessie, I have had enough adventures with you to last me the rest of my life."

"What about Earth?"

"I'll go back one day, but for now I want to sit out this invasion. Caib owes me anyway; once he takes over I will be able to use it all I want."

"Is that it, you've already given up?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Help me warn the people."

"Nobody's going to listen, that's just the way it is."

I had the strongest sense that he was right, but I had to try. "You never know."

He gave me the oil and the stopper, which I put into my backpack. It was then time for me to make a decision. We stared at each other for a minute, not sure what to say or do. Finally I backed up towards the door. He knew what this meant.

"Goodbye Bessie and good luck."

"Thank you for everything, I would never have been able to get home without you."

"You're not home yet; don't let your guard down. The next few days will be the most trying yet, but I know you can get through it."

I nodded, not sure of what to say as usual. I put my hand on the door and pushed, the cool breeze felt great compared to the frigid temperatures in Voratiot. I gave him one last look, hoping for that second alone that he would change his mind and come with me, or at least tell me how to use the oil and the stopper, or even how to find the Technology, but he did not, and I did not want to badger him anymore. I gave one more smile, and took my leave, across the boardwalk. About ten steps into the night I decided that I really did have one more thing that I should have asked him. I turned back, knocked on the door, and when he answered I said:

"Can I please stay the night?"

He laughed, "Of course you can."

There was only one bed, a very small, very old and lumpy bed which I refused to sleep on, not wanting to take it from him. I stayed on the floor, I was getting used to it, and with a few of his extra blankets and a pillow it turned out to be rather nice. I fell asleep feeling better than I had all day, blissfully pushing all other thoughts away. I was just glad that I had patched things up with Dimitrius. In the morning things would be different. I would have to think about the invasion, and what I was going to do about it. So at least for that night I felt pretty good.

Ch. 16

Dimitrius explained everything I would need to know about the Technology and where he thought it would be, over oatmeal. I don't even remember what it tasted like, but I know it was good. He told me all kinds of things I would probably never need to know, but it was nice that he was on my side again. Not that he was ever against me, if anything I was against him. According to his estimates I could be home within three days. Two days for traveling and warning everyone I met, and a third to sneak around Yim. It wasn't the perfect plan, but it was the only one I had.

After the oatmeal and plan making I left, thanking him a thousand times and telling him how grateful I was for everything. He told me to get going. We did not know how long until the Terror Bringers would be there. With any luck I would have a few hours head start at least, possibly even a day or two.

It was a nice day, cloudy again, but a little warmer than what I was expecting for late November, which I concluded it was. The maze was easier this time around. Especially after I drank more of the water from that little pond in the center, and filled up my jars full of it. I made it out and just as I had expected, did not recognize the land I was looking at in the distance. I must have teleported to the entrance to the cave that day I first arrived in the Forgotten Lands. I didn't put much stock in it and kept on going, time was not on my side. I wished that I had a bike, which would have made things so much easier.

Three hours into my expedition I made it to the row of trees where I had seen Poiye. Not too long after that I started seeing dilapidated houses up ahead. I had made it to Sorm. It was never great news to make it to Sorm, seeing as how their town is about the nastiest place I had ever been to. I chuckled quietly. It was something about how relieved I was at making it to the first stop towards home; in addition it hit me again at how cool it was that I was the first person from Earth to be in another dimension. For a few seconds the bad guys escaped my mind, but it would not last long. The closer I got to the town the more I felt that something was wrong. There were noises, scrapings and shouting, not something I would expect from a town like Sorm where everyone lived in hiding. I slowed up, creeping along until right behind the first building. The smell got to me and I knew I was going to be sick, but a shout cleared my mind instantly. It was a woman, possibly Meg, maybe something I said finally sank in. I removed myself from behind the building and walked into town, unexposed.

The first thing I saw was forty or so people dressed in all black, moving to and fro. A tall woman, also in black, stood in the center of it all, she was definitely not Meg. The initials on her hat gave her away instantly. She was a Terror Bringer. Every one of them was. I jumped back behind something, a crate, hoping that nobody saw me. Several minutes passed, and feeling good about my inconspicuous hiding place I looked around the crate. They were checking the homes, but judging by their shouts they were not finding anything. I'm not sure how they bypassed the Forgotten Lands to get there before me, but there was no time to think about that. I decided that my best bet was to sneak around and find that hole in the ground, hoping that they hadn't yet.

I slithered from behind the crate into a back alley and ran as quietly as I could through the sludge, slipping occasionally, until I found another alley with nobody in it. I did this throughout town, twice having to fling myself against the wall and keep still hoping nobody would see me. There was one time when two of them walked right past me, too absorbed in their conversation about Seraya, whoever that was, to notice me.

I found the hole after a few more minutes and dropped down it. It was silent down the tunnel. The fire was out this time but it was still warmer than it was outside. I came out into the cavernous room, all eyes on me in an instant. Nobody moved. They were all huddled together in a corner. The little boy who lit my way as I left the last time I was there came up to me.

"Meg is out there, she is showing them where we are. They are going to help us."

"No," I called to everyone, "your best bet is to stay hidden until they move on. I've seen what these people can do; they are not to be trusted."

"But," the little boy started.

He was cut off by a large cheer coming from everyone else, they were staring past me. I turned around and saw Meg with one of the Terror Bringers. I took several steps back, glaring at him, he didn't even notice me. He was staring around the room, his eyes showed glee at what he had discovered. He had two large daggers hanging from his belt. He pulled one out and held it up for silence. The cheering continued. They did not understand the warning.

"Is this woman your leader?" He called over the ruckus.

"Yes, I am the leader." Meg said, looking overjoyed that she was finally in the midst of a Terror Bringer.

The crowd echoed that she was the leader. The man nodded his approval, and then in a move that brought silence faster than anyone could have thought possible; he quickly pounded Meg's head with the butt of his knife. He continued hitting her on the head and face until she fell to the ground. There was a stunned silence. I had never seen anything like that and could not move or even think for several seconds. I could only watch in horror as that nice yet misguided person fell to the ground, her bruised and battered face buried in the soil. The man turned to go, promising to "come back and collect the rest".

The little boy beside me fell to the ground in tears, everyone else ran up to Meg and crowded around her, trying to wake her from what was undoubtedly just a stunt. Feeling came back to my body, and I shed a few tears of sorrow before tensing up, trying to rally the troops around our lost friend.

"You have to fight back, they are going to do that to all of you if you don't do something first."

No one listened, they were all too sad, too shocked to even listen.

"Why did they do that?" A girl a little asked, "I thought they were our hero's."

"There are no hero's, not anymore." An old man sobbed. He had an uncanny resemblance to Meg, but that's all I would allow myself to think. I did not want to get any sadder than I already was.

I snuck past the crowd and ran down the tunnel. When I got to the end the same man was climbing down the ladder. He jumped the last two pegs to the ground. As he was turning around I ran straight into him, knocking his head on the metal of the ladder. He fell unconsciously to the ground. I took the two daggers and hit him in the head a few times with the butt of them, hoping it would keep him out longer. I then waited for someone else to come down, nobody did. He must not have told anybody where the hole was yet. I returned to the cave and told them about the man lying next to the ladder. A few of the larger, more menacing looking people followed and dragged the body back. I told them to not leave the cave and I gave them the daggers for protection, or whatever they wanted to do with them.

I climbed out of the hole and took to leaving town. The people of Sorm were warned enough, and I had to get to Thurm before the same thing happened there as well. The majority of the Terror Bringers were nowhere near the hole, or the entrance to the town, which made it easier to escape. The scariest part was leaving town, there was no hiding from the steep hills on either side of the town, but luckily nobody appeared to be up there. I came to the church and, upon recognizing me, Jared poked his head out.

"What's going on in town?" He asked, clearly worried.

I pointed a stern finger at him, "Don't come out, if you have a place to hid then take as much food and water as you can there and do not come out until at least tomorrow. They are here, and they are eliminating everyone they can find. Do not let that happen to you." I continued on without stopping. Jared nodded fervently and disappeared from the door.

I jogged out of the valley; I couldn't run with my backpack making so much noise. I was terrified to look back, but when I got out of the valley I took a quick peek, no one was in sight. Feeling hopeless once again I called to the only person that I thought could help me out.

"Poiye, if you can hear me, please come here, I need you."

"I see you finally get that I am trying to help you." He appeared of a sudden right beside me. He wore an all black suit and tie this time, as if in mourning.

"They killed Meg, for no reason, I don't know what to do."

"You did what you had to do; you left; now it is time to warn everyone else."

"But I can't get to everyone else in time, who knows where the rest are, they could be right in front of me for all I know."

"Indeed they are not far ahead."

"Then I am too late, I will never catch up to them, unless . . ."

He smiled, not the stupid smile he saves for when I ask a question, but a truly sinister smile, as if I had just come up with a marvelously evil plan, and he loved every bit of it. "I must say I like how you are now using all of your resources."

"Um, okay."

"We're here."

I looked around; we were right outside of Kippin and Murl's racetrack.

"It is time that I leave you now."

"Wait, I need to know who that woman was calling orders."

"That was Saraya, the wife of Caib."

"Who would marry that nutcase?"

"A nutcase." He said, I looked his way to smile at his remark, but he was gone.

It took me another minute to figure out that he answered one of my questions. He must have been slipping. That was now twice that he did something he said he would not do.

I jumped the small fence and ran towards the house where Kippin was looking at the bin of Shuirrels. "Girlie, come back for another race?"

"Not today, I need to warn you about the Terror Bringers."

He grimaced, it is what I believe to be the first time one ever crossed his face, up to that point I only saw smiles. "When?"

"Right now, they are not far behind me."

"What should we do?"

"If you have a hiding place then go there."

"We have a basement."

"Good, go there and take as much food as you can. Wait a day or two and come out when you think it's safe."

"What are they going to do?"

"They are killing people."

"Oh, that's bad."

I jumped the fence out of the racetrack and continued on, hoping to get to Sorm by night. It was already early evening. I didn't know how that teleportation (if that is what it was) worked, but I assumed that I would figure it out eventually.

I forgot how long it took to get to Sorm from the racetrack. It was an hour after dark when I finally got there. Its gates guarded with much friendlier guards than were Impiral's. They let me in, I warned them, and one of them left their post to tell the others. I went to the town square where there was actually a large crowd, despite it not being the day for that kind of assembly. It didn't surprise me that Angeela was standing on her crate in the center of it all. I got closer to hear what she was saying.

"They are almost here, and there is only one way to stop them. You must all join Dimitrius and he will lead us to Earth before it is too late."

"Are you sure they're coming?" Someone yelled.

"Yes, they are on their way now. I have recently gotten a message from a friend in Sorm."

How could she have gotten a message from Sorm? I was just there and everyone was in hiding. Everyone except for the few people still in houses, I hadn't even thought about them. I hoped they were alright.

"If you follow me the right path will reveal itself." Angeela continued.

"Howard!"

It took me a minute to realize that was me. I turned around to see Janey, she was standing a good distance from the crowd. Mixed with her excitement was a clear look of fear for my well being from being so close to a Dimitrian. I went up to her, almost forgetting about why I was even there.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Good, why are you back?"

"I have to warn you that the Terror Bringers are coming. I saw them on my way back from finding my father."

"You mean she's not a nut today?" Janey asked, pointing to Angeela.

"Not today."

"Where are they? What should we do?" Her voice was shaking.

"You have to take your family, and as many people as you can, and find a hiding place."

She looked frantically around in all directions. "There's an underground passage beneath my neighbors house, he keeps his mood changing drinks down there."

I didn't have time to figure out what "mood changing drinks" were, Janey ran off. I went up to the crate where Angeela was answering questions about Dimitrius, and grabbed the metaphorical microphone from her.

"You have to hide; the Terror Bringers are almost here. There is no time to lose."

"Bessie, how nice to see you again, but I must say the only way to truly save everyone is to have them follow Dimitrius."

Someone laughed, others followed. What was so funny? Did they not sense the gravity of the moment? Did they even care? The laughter grew and soon the entire square was filled with it. The people started funneling out. We tried to get them to stay, yelling about the Terror Bringers and Dimitrius, but they didn't listen.

"Well that's just great." I said to Angeela when we were the only ones left.

"They do not realize their mistake."

"I can't wait here until they figure out that they're in danger, I have to go and warn the capital. Can you try to warn them for me?"

"I will only spread the word of Dimitrius."

"Shut it about Dimitrius, he doesn't even –" I couldn't finish. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Dimitrius only started the Dimitrians to get back to Earth.

"Yes, dear?"

"Never mind, I have to go."

Time was scarce, and though I regretted leaving with people still in the streets, I had to go. The road was familiar, something that gave comfort to my racing mind. This new exercise was going to be the toughest, and honestly the most dangerous: convincing the council that I do not have powers while also telling them to prepare for invasion. It was daunting and was going to take a good deal of mental preparation. I got started straight away, thinking of every possible way the conversations could go. Pretending to be myself was easy; pretending to be faceless council members was harder. I felt that I was being too easy on myself while role playing in my head, so I became harsher, but after the sixth time of sentencing myself to death I gave it up completely.

I began to jog, sprinting occasionally to get any sort of lead that I could over the Terror Bringers. I pulled out the lamp, lit it, and held it up as its light bounced and shook all around me. I grew tired, not being used to running more than a mile. Angeela's house came into view sooner than expected. I gagged at the sight of it, but did not stop to get a fresh whiff. The water in my bag slowly disappeared, and so did what courage I had left. But as I told myself many times before that: I had to continue.

The greatest lift to my spirits came when I noticed that I was stepping over roots, I looked up and saw trees towering above me. I started breathing huge sighs of relief, I was almost there. In an hour's time I will have warned the council and would probably be refueling and re-stopping the Technology for a speedy get away. Everything was going to be alright, I could feel it.

A deer ran across my path and I dropped my lamp. It shattered to bits on the ground, sending me into darkness. I didn't dare move. I strained my eyes but to no avail. My arms acting as braces, I started down the path, hoping not to fall on my face. It worked alright at first, I moved my first foot slow enough that I could determine if it was a good spot before moving the rest of me. There were no noises, nothing to startle me now, or anything at all for that matter. I wondered where the deer had gone, but I was so mad at it for making me drop my lamp I was glad I didn't know where it was.

A sound, soft, above me, what was it? It grew numerous; I could hear it in all directions. Something hit me . . . water. It was raining. In less than a minute it was pouring, I was soaked, and the cold was really getting to me. I shivered along, imagining the warmth of home, the security. It was such a great thing to imagine, but instead of making me feel better it made me feel worse. The plan was set, the execution was yet to be . . . well . . . executed. This brought my mood, which was more of a rollercoaster than anything in Hurdeen, down a few pegs. It was the culmination of everything that had happened to me since the last time I freaked out.

As I trudged along I thought of Poiye, and what he would say if he saw me now. I didn't have to wait long.

"You are so close." He said.

I couldn't see him, but his presence alone reassured me. "What do you want me to do?" After I warn them, I'm gone."

"Then the people will die."

"I warned them."

"They need you."

"For what?" I asked skeptically, "On Earth they would be charged with kidnapping."

"You can't pretend you don't enjoy it here. Finally something exciting has happened to you, you are somebody here."

"I don't feel that way." I lied.

He was in front of me, I followed his voice. A light showed up ahead. As I got closer I saw that it was a lamp next to the door to the underground. I went up to it, Poiye stood behind me.

"There is a terror, young Bessie, and you are required to calm its angered shores."

"Pardon?"

"The Terror Bringers need to be stopped, and you are the one to do it."

"Now you sound just like the council. This is not my problem."

"It has become your problem." He said, hints of anger flashing through.

"I backed up next to the door; it slightly protected me from the rain. "Why don't you do it then? You always are popping in and out, I'm sure you can do something."

"If they learn of my existence they will not stop trying to get to Earth."

Are you from Earth?"

Not even a smile.

"Why should I even listen to you, apart from getting me here faster than I could have normally, you have done nothing. You haven't told me one useful thing since I met you." I'll admit it was a little harsh, but there was nothing that I could do for these people, and his saying that I could was really annoying me. And besides if the people here couldn't do anything about the Terror Bringers, how was I supposed to do anything.

"Remember that you have a responsibility to these people."

"The Hurdeen can take care of themselves."

"I meant everyone."

I turned to him, my eyes demanding an answer, but I would not get one, he was gone. That last statement hung with me for a while, but it would be several hours before I was fully aware of his meaning.

My wet hands rapped at the door, which was thrust open immediately. I was wrapped in an embrace, which was a little confusing but when I heard the voice it was easy to figure out who it was.

"Oh, Bessie, you are here."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"A nice man in a suit showed up about an hour ago and said you were on your way. He even showed me how to dress like him."

He took a step back and let me admire him. He wore dress pants and a vest though it was backwards, with no shirt underneath.

"So," he said, clapping his hands together, "did you get them?"

"What?"

"Your powers?"

"I already told you, I don't have any."

He looked put out. "Did you find Dimitrius?"

"Yes, and I have the fuel and missing part you broke."

"Sorry about that."

"It's alright, let's head down there so I can put it on, he told me how." I had to act carefully and fast if I wanted any chance to get home that night.

"But the council will want to see you."

"Now Miggins, I've been all over the world the last few days, from the Forgotten Land to Impiral to watching Ice Dancers while freezing in Voratiot. Don't you think it would be neat if I fixed the Technology and then saw the council?"

"You actually saw an Ice Dancer? Was it amazing?"

"Before I knew it was trying to eat me, yes."

"You've had quite a journey."

"Indeed, and I would like it to end soon."

"Don't you worry," he said as he started down the passageways, "the invasion will come, you will help us succeed, and the council will approve your going home."

"Right, but . . . um" I appreciated his optimism, but I had yet to tell him the most important part, it was now or never. "The invasion will begin soon, they were right behind me."

"Oh my, are you sure?"

"Afraid so."

"What shall we do?" He said, more to himself than to me.

He continued down the passageways. Not being too familiar with the underground I had no clue where we were going. But I was none too pleased to find myself outside of the council chamber. He knocked, someone let us in, and before I knew it, or even wanted to think of what I was going to say, we were standing in front of the fifty plus member council. They looked down on me as if I was something unsavory under their shoes.

"You have news of the invasion." An old man said, in the center of it all.

"I do." I said slowly, trying to give a dirty look to Miggins without the council noticing. It turns out Miggins didn't notice either.

"Where are they?" The old man barked, he had a very harsh voice and it was not at all pleasing to hear.

"Not far from here . . . sir."

"And you are just now telling us this; you couldn't have stopped them with your powers?"

This guy was seriously getting on my nerves. "I don't have –"

Miggins cut in, "What she means is –"

"I was not talking to you!" The old man roared.

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" I shouted.

There were gasps all around as the man stood up, glowering down at me. "Excuse me."

I was so mad that I did the one thing that could only make my predicament worse, I lied. "I do have powers, and if you try so much as to speak to me in that tone again, you will not live long enough to wonder what I was doing to you."

He sat down immediately. I had won. My audience was set. If only I knew what I was getting myself into.

"I will have Miggins escort me to the Technology, where I will make up a plan to give to you. If anyone follows us, I will be the one to bring terror."

We left the chamber, not a sound could be heard except for our footsteps. Down the hall Miggins turned to me. "I thought you didn't have any powers." He said, fear written all over his face.

"I think I just found it."

As long as they believed in what I was saying, I had the power. I just needed to use it correctly to get home. Miggins led the way down deeper into the earth than I had ever been before. The stairs were steeper, the air colder. It took several minutes when we reached a solid black metal door hundreds of feet down. He stood out of my way; I believe fearing that I was going to blow the door away. I told him to open it, which he did and backed away again. I stepped into a large hanger. It was completely empty save for a two story tall black ship, shaped inconspicuously as a large saucer UFO. I chuckled at the idea Dimitrius put together. Who would believe that this dark ship would actually be from beings from another world? Actually a lot of people, but nobody would believe them.

I made my way around it, admiring its scale while looking for an entrance. Miggins had to show me where it was, it blended in and was only available through a well hidden button. The inside was even better. There was a circular hallway hitting three rooms. The first was the electrical room, which I did not mess with. The next was the bathroom, also did not mess with. The final was in the center. It had one seat and a control panel in front of it. Before I could look at it Miggins called me back to the electrical room where the marsh oil and stopper went. They were on the outside, but could only be put on from the inside. Once in place I was set to go.

"Do you mind going to see if anybody followed us?"

"Not at all."

He left, leaving me with the Technology, finally able to get home. I ran to the seat and started looking over the controls. "No, no, no." I chanted. All the instructions were in their language, I couldn't read a thing. This was not happening, I was there, in the Technology, ready to go and I was unable.

Miggins came back in, "Nobody is there."

"Thank you, Miggins, um, I have a question."

I had to ask, but I really didn't want to. Not now, not when he believed that I could actually stop the Terror Bringers. He would never let me go.

"Yes?" he asked expectantly.

"Oh, uh . . . do you think that there is a place that would be better for fending them off at, maybe somewhere above ground that we can shoot things at them without getting killed, like a castle or something tall?"

"We do, funny enough."

"Really? Well that will really help my battle planning."

"So we are going to fight? That's wonderful, our army will actually have something to do for once, and it will be recorded forever."

"There's an army here, and yet I was called upon to end this thing?"

"The council thought that you would be able to stop them much faster, without loss of life. Can't you with your powers?"

"My powers are actually – you see they are for making up battle strategies."

"But you said you could kill the head council member."

"Yes, what I meant was I could quickly strategize a way to kill him."

"I get it, that's genius."

"So where is this castle?"

"Not far, in the morning I will take you and the council will get the army together and we will have ourselves a battle. That nice man I was telling you about with the suit said that the Terror Bringers were going to come by midday."

"If you knew that then why were you so surprised when I told you they were coming?"

"Because I did not believe it until you told me. Who could believe a man dressed as strangely as him?"

He took me to the room I slept in my first night in Hurdeen, complete with the curtain, and promised to wake me at dawn. That couldn't be very long off, since it had been dark for several hours. I got to bed at once, wanting to be at my best in the morning. That would be the day that I had to strategize for. And yet even with my being unable to leave until I could get Miggins to translate the technology's controls, I didn't feel hopeless. Something must have been keeping me calm, though what it was I had no idea.

Ch. 17

Miggins woke me with a soft tap, much gentler than Dimitrius's jarring methods. I got dressed in new clothes I found at the foot of my bed: red shirt and pants with a collection of symbols on them, and a rope belt. I wore the boots from Voratiot. Miggins told me the symbols spelled 'Hurdeen'. I had to take his word for it because there were only six letters.

He took me to a room with other people dressed as I was, all older and meaner looking than me, and left me there. I took a seat at the only empty seat around a circular table. There were six of us. A bearded man across from me started things off.

"We are here to plan for the impending invasion of the Terror Bringers, set to begin in a few hours. It has come to us that you," he was referring to me, "have suggested using the old Hurdeen castle for our defense, explain."

"Well," I started uncertainly, wishing I had come in better prepared, "It would give us the high ground, allow us to shoot down on them from a safe height. Do we have guns?"

"Only the Voratiots have those. We will not use their weapons."

"Arrows?"

"We have arrows."

"Get as many as you can and give them to the army. How many are in the army?"

"Three hundred at max."

"That's it?"

The bearded man looked confused, "Yes, is that not enough?"

"I don't know. Do we know how many are in the enemy?"

"Scouts came in this morning seeing about the same."

"That's good at least."

There was a woman next to me, she had a frown that I'm sure had been on her face since birth. She spoke next.

"Once we are in the castle what do we do?"

I had to think about this for a minute, but when I came up with an idea I shared it. "We fight. We go to the very top and start shooting our arrows down on the enemy when they approach."

Whispering broke out. I was worried it was negative, but to my surprise compliments started flying.

"That sounds like a plan."

"Good job, miss."

"You really do have powers."

I was greatly confused. How could anybody think that that was a great plan? If anything it was common sense. There was something strange about these Hurdeen, but what it was still escaped me.

They sent me out with more compliments. In the hall Miggins was waiting, pacing back and forth nervously. He ran straight to me.

"So, how did it go?"

"They thought I was brilliant." I said dully.

"That's great."

The morning was filled with people coming up to me and thanking me for saving them. I would have felt good about it if I had actually done something, but I hadn't, and I felt terrible every time somebody approached me with a smile. Miggins acted as my body guard, pushing people away and making sure the way was clear when we started down a new passageway.

"How is it that everyone knows me already?"

"News travels fast down here, especially about you."

Something other, out of the ordinary, something strange and new. In other words: me. I was a bigger hit here than I ever could be on Earth, my Earth that is. But most of it was a lie, and I was not going to take it one more second. I had to get somewhere private and see if I could contact Poiye. He was a nuisance, but he had answers that nobody else had. I asked Miggins if there was a place that I could go alone and focus my powers. The old man from the council came up at that moment.

"It is time for you to be at the castle, the fighters are ready." He took a glance at Miggins, but looked away quickly as if just remembering something important.

"Actually, I was just about to focus--"

"No time for that."

He ordered Miggins (nicely) to take me to the castle at once. And before I had a chance to figure anything out I was being whisked away somewhere else.

The old Hurdeen castle was a half mile from the underground. It's facade a steel gray, turrets rising above the one hundred foot high ceiling which were already teeming with people at the ready, bows in hand. We entered and were met with even more soldiers milling about trying to find their places. They all wore the same bright red uniform that I did.

The inside of the castle was magnificent even if aged. The floors were stone, tapestries of all sizes and colors hung everywhere one wanted their eyes to go. We climbed the stone steps and were in a long and decorated hallway. I was taken down this hall, up another staircase. This staircase had windows that showed a marvelous view of the forest. And then I was taken down another hall to a set of doors. These led to the roof. There was movement all around from soldiers getting into position. I was led up to the crenellations and peered over the edge. A great field stretched before us, extending to the forest so far away.

Someone came up and handed me a bow. I hadn't realized that I would actually be fighting, so this gesture took me by surprise. "Is this for me?" I asked stupidly. The man nodded and went away. I had never shot an arrow, but how hard could it be? It turns out very hard. I took a few practice shots at the ground. Even from a few feet away I couldn't get the arrowhead to actually hit the stones.

Yelling came from all sides, everyone was pointing at the forest in the distance. I took a look and my breath caught somewhere in my throat. For a second I could not breath, think, or make any movements at all. There, in the distance, was a wave of black. It was on the move, revealing itself from the trees, growing longer and longer until half the field was filled with dark uniforms. Their marching could be heard, hard footfalls on the drying ground resonated into all of our heads, sending our calm courage away, replacing it with only fear and nothing more. The noises of preparation died instantly, silence remained. Everyone to their own minds, their own thoughts of what the following hours could be. I forgot where I was, the rhythmic approaching, the bow in my hand, all fell away till it was only me and the fog of slow moving terror coming straight at me.

I was staring for several minutes, the coming judgment was nearer for some in our ranks then they ever would have thought possible. Then I noticed something odd. The advancing troops stopped. I noticed that the breeze had also stopped. I looked around and to my surprise all of the soldiers around me weren't moving either. I glanced back at the Terror Bringers, wondering what happened when . . .

"Congratulations!"

I jumped straight into the crenellation in front of me. My head hurt real bad, but I managed to look over my shoulder all the same. Mixed in with the stars flashing before my eyes was Poiye. He looked exuberant as a smile was pasted on his face.

"Congratulations on winning the battle, I knew you could do it."

"What are you talking about?" I pointed at the approaching army. "It hasn't even started yet."

"Oh my, I'm afraid I'm too early. Well good luck."

He vanished instantly. The world came back to life and I was left looking at the spot where he had last been, thinking deeply of his power as the archers readied their bows on each side. How could he stop time? It was yet another mystery of the great Poiye. And about him coming early, weird.

I didn't have time to get into too much, the screaming started again, and before I could fully turn around to face the field there was a terrible blast from somewhere below me. The entire castle rumbled. I steadied myself, and then felt another. I got up and shouted to the others.

"Long range cannons! Get yourselves at the ready."

I didn't know who was in charge, but I decided that I should be. Flaming cannonballs flew all around. Some hitting the castle, others were smashing into the ground showering dirt and ashes every which way.

The archers began firing, but their aim was just as bad as mine. Most arrows landed within ten feet of our ground forces who began charging into the fray. I don't know who gave that order, but it was probably the worst thing to do at that moment. Their fighters greatly outnumbered our own, and that was including everyone within the walls and on the roof. I shouted for them to come back, but none heard me.

"Stop firing," I ordered the archers, "you're only making it worse."

They did as they were told and looked to me for further instruction.

"If they get closer you can continue, but until then -- don't we have anything long distance?"

"No, ma'am." someone said.

This was more hopeless than I had initially anticipated. I had to leave the roof; no one was going to survive if they kept on with those cannons. They were hitting twice a minute now, and the closer they got the worse it was going to get. The chargers in the field were met with swords and daggers and the occasional mini cannon thing like Angeela had used on the shuirrel. Several of our own had already deserted, I could see them running back to the underground. Others fled back to the castle, and even fewer stayed and fought. I was too afraid to look and see how they were fairing, but I guessed not very well.

I left the roof, heading down the stairs to the first hallway and went looking for the next to have a talk with whoever was in charge of the chargers. My fear left, for now there was just adrenaline, pumping through me. It cleared my eyes to the real world around me, the one of danger and excitement.

The cannon blasts continued, shaking the entire castle each time. Dust fell from cracks in the ceiling, occasionally enough would fall that the corridors were filled with it. I had no idea as to where I was going, I can safely say my mind was elsewhere the first time I went through, so much so that I did not pay attention to the directions.

I stumbled along, lurching forward in surprise every time the walls shook. Nobody was in sight no matter how far I went. I tried some of the doors, hoping that stairs were behind one. For the most part I found bedrooms, some with just a bed, others completely empty. One had a window facing the action. I took a look, and to my horror the ones in black were all over, and some were entering the castle directly below the window. I stepped back, not knowing what to do, but the adrenaline kicked in again and I shot out of the room determined to find someone who could help me find an exit. This was getting nowhere, and if I was correct, everybody would be fleeing.

Two minutes and four cannon blasts later I found the main staircase. Down on the ground floor was where the main battle had moved to. I was very surprised to see that many in red were still fighting, and was saddened to see that many others in red were on the ground. I promised myself that they were just wounded and continued on to find a staircase that would lead me out back. I lingered too long. At the moment that I decided to continue on I was spotted by Seraya, the wife of Caib. We locked eyes, and she ran up the stairs after me. I took off as fast as I could, I knew she was dangerous and I wanted nothing to do with her.

Down one hallway, sprinting down another, up a pair of stairs, and through a door. This one led to a hall of paintings. It was very dark and cold in there. I walked slowly, breathing heavily trying to catch my breath. The door opened behind me and Seraya stepped in. She too walked slowly, but she was not panting. It was too dark for her to see me, but if she listened past the noise from outside she would be able to hear me. I crept backwards, keeping my eyes peeled to where I thought she was. Backing into walls was the least of my concern, even though I managed it several times. She was creeping towards me faster than I could get back. The hall twisted back into the depths of the castle with no way of knowing if there would be a door on the other end.

Suddenly she lunged, grabbing my shirt. I pulled back just as fast and managed to break her hold. I took off back down the hall and exited the room with her still right behind. She yelled a primal screech that went in time with another blast. I was so scared at that point that I did not care where I went or what was to be there when I arrived. The next turn took me to a long hallway with a sagging floor, I tripped half way through and landed on my side, she stopped as well.

"You are the one, you are the one." she said slowly, as if just realizing who I was.

I slid backwards along the floor, trying to get as far away as possible. But she did not come after me now; she simply stood there looking at me. Her face showed a thirst for my blood, she wanted me dead, but she was going to take her time about it. She began to take small steps toward me, the floor sagging and squeaking the whole time.

"Don't fear me; I am only the start of your terror. Today we take Hurdeen, tomorrow we start on Earth. What do you think; do you think it will be as fast? I know you don't have any powers, every one of us knows now. But don't worry, soon it will all end, and you can sleep for all time."

She licked her lips in a demented sort of way as her eyes grew with wonder at something that was beyond my comprehension. The space closed in between us, and I knew that the next few seconds were going to decide everything. There was nothing I could do and in turn there was no way I could think. What happened next happened so fast that I still look back to figure out what happened.

Seraya lunged at me from several feet away. I threw myself back as far as I could, trying desperately to get away from her clutches. At that moment a maelstrom of noise and earth shattering collisions blew apart the wall as stone and wood flew everywhere. The floor gave way and I pushed myself further back to keep from falling in the new formed hole. My ears rang from the explosion as I stood; blood filled my mouth from where I bit my tongue. My arms had blood on them, but I did not feel any pain. I looked in the hole to see massive stones from the wall. Something red caught my eye but I quickly looked away upon seeing the tangled mess of hair that was half covering it.

I slowly took myself away from the scene, away from the image that would haunt me forever. The castle was quiet now, or maybe it had been quiet for a while, I wasn't sure. I lost track of time. It could have been hours that I just wandered through trying to find my way out. The next thing I knew I was climbing out a hole into the warm sun, not caring who saw me or what they would do. It was the back of the castle that I had stumbled out of. At first I didn't see anybody, but then a familiar face was running toward me.

"Bessie, how are you, I haven't seen you, I thought . . ."

"I'm fine." I mumbled.

"We can't go back to the underground, they've taken it."

"What?" I wasn't fully aware of what he was saying. "That was the whole point of going to the castle, to lead them away from there."

"They followed the deserters. I got out when I could. The whole city is being taken. The leaders have most of the troops; they are in the forest deciding what the next plan is."

"Why aren't they helping?"

"They make plans, they don't fight."

"We have to get them to fight."

"First we need to get you to the front entrance, that's where the healers are."

"All the fighting moved to the underground?"

"Yes, it's dreadful."

There was so little sense in this world that I went along to the healers without a fight. They looked me over, cleaned me off, and gave me water. It helped immensely, and I was thinking clearly in no time. Once better I headed straight for the trees, planning to have a talk with the leaders. Nobody stopped me along the way, though Miggins tagged along, making sure I didn't get into trouble. We found them in a circle near the edge of trees. They were apparently happy to see me.

"Bessie, so good of you to join us, we are making plans for the rest of the day, please share your thoughts." One of them said.

Something was wrong, they seemed to calm, too carefree. "Aren't you at all worried that your home is being destroyed?"

"What? Oh, yes it's terrible."

"Your families are in there."

"That's why we are planning."

They were being peculiar. Their lack of care brought back the idea that there was something not right about the Hurdeen. Every one of them I met had something about them that I could not place, but it was not until right there in the woods that I had my first notion that something was horrifically wrong with them. They didn't care, it's not that they didn't want to, it's that they couldn't. There was no urgency, no real panic at all in their beings.

I backed away from them; they stared at me and continued on with their planning as if they did not see me. I put my back to a nearby tree and listened in. At first it was basic planning, calling for simple actions such as fighting back and escaping. But then they grew in their fervor, emotion set in, and they talked of their own invasion. One person even mentioned that the council wanted them to invade if they won the battle at the castle.

"That's it." Someone said.

"We take all of our troops and invade them, its genius." Another agreed.

"Begin immediately, no time to lose. The faster we destroy their city, the faster we can save our own."

Was it that I was listening for the first time, or that they just change face so abruptly. "You can't do that." I called out. "You should save as many as you can here first."

They ignored me this time.

"Outward to Voratiot!" One yelled.

There was a call from the soldiers who were beyond the trees a little away. They stood and began their trek to Voratiot just like that.

"Wait!" I screamed.

"There's no point, they won't listen." Miggins said.

"Why not? They can't do what they are planning. Too many will die here, and too many will die in Voratiot if they ever even make it that far."

"They have already decided, it will happen."

"What is wrong with you? What is wrong with all of you? Does no one here care what happens to their own people, or to anyone else? This is the most disgusting place I have ever seen, and I only now realized it. I have been going around here for days and days and I finally see behind the curtain. There is nothing worth living for here if this is how society acts."

"Is it different in your world?" He asked.

"Yes, some places . . . most places. I want to go back and be done with it here, there's no reason for me to be here. You brought me here to stop an invasion and now just as easily they are going to go start one. I have to get out of here."

I ran from him, into the depths of the trees and the brush.

Ch. 18

I needed to be alone, to be somewhere where I could contact my only hope. This world was finally revealing itself, but I suppose it was there all the time. I just now started looking. I ran for several minutes until I felt secure enough to start calling out for help.

"Poiye, I need you."

"And I am here."

He stood before me, in the same outfit that he wore the first time I met him, back when I only thought of him as a nut.

"I have to get out of here. There's going to be no end to this mess. I don't know why I thought I would be able to do anything. I should have confessed that harder the moment I arrived."

"You cannot leave yet."

"I have to."

"There is unfinished business."

"Yes, yes, I am aware that I said I would help, but I can't now. I can't do anything."

"You need to be brave."

"What am I supposed to do?!" I shouted; feeling utterly depressed for the second time in Hurdeen.

"You must now warn the Voratiots, it is only fair."

"You helped me before, I am sure you can help me get home."

"I cannot."

"Then how am I supposed to get home?"

"Sometimes you must dig deep inside yourself to find the right decisions. They may not present themselves as wrapped boxes in your path."

The more I thought of Poiye, the more he changed to my eyes. When I first met him I only saw him as the annoying magician, using his tricks to make me think he was more mysterious than he really was. But as the world seemingly changed around me he started to be the voice of reason, the gentle hand guiding me in the right direction. He was right about me needing to warn the Voratiots, but I still wanted to decide it on my own.

"I will go and warn the Voratiots." I announced at last, after fully thinking it over. "I would hate to see people die just because their country is run by a maniac."

"Very wise decision."

"Now how do we get there?"

He paused, looking at me with a guilty smile.

"Yes." I said slowly, fearing bad news.

"You see, the more I use my method of traveling, the longer it takes to get to the desired location."

"What is your method?"

Cue stupid smile, although by now I believe he only did it to be playfully annoying.

"Whatever let's go."

He didn't give me enough time to even look over my shoulder. The next thing I am looking at is the bright lights of Impiral, from the hill where I first saw the city. It was night and much colder than the one before.

"It is early in the morning." He said. "The Hurdeen are not far behind."

"Already? It took me days to get here."

"I daresay they know a better route."

"You're probably right."

He left me there in the cold and the dark. I started down the hill straight away. There was no guard on duty, which struck me as a little strange. The city was quiet; the only noise was the low hum coming from the lamps. The lonely streets reminded me of something out of an old western, or a post apocalyptic movie, but I concentrated on the former. I passed the hotel that I had stayed at. For some reason I expected it to look differently, but it looked exactly the same, nothing was different, anywhere.

I took to the skywalk, hoping it would save time, but then I came to the sudden and startling realization that I had no plan. So, instead of giving up, I quickly made one. For the next hour I wandered along the skywalk making my plan that would have to be better than the one in Sorm, with less offense as the one at the castle. I watched the sun rise over the bay as I made my final tallies in my head, and then went straight back to that black building with the bell tower.

When the first merchants began to open their shops I had already made a run through of the building, it was completely empty. I thought over my plan once again from the front steps. It was hastily made, but I really didn't want to think up another one, so I stuck with it. If all went right it might just work to get everyone out of town. If the Hurdeen didn't find anybody, perhaps they would just leave and go back to their own capital, which was probably destroyed by now. I got my courage to its highest level in days by thinking that I would be going home very soon, and stood up to start.

"Gather round!" I yelled.

It took several minutes, but enough people recognized me that they did in fact gather around the steps to hear what I had to say. The important thing was to talk, not like they were all in danger, but as if it would be in their best interest to leave the city to get something I am sure they wanted.

"You have to listen to me now, everybody. I come with news of a new beginning for all." I couldn't help but notice how much I was starting to sound like Angeela. "Caib and the Terror Bringers have fled the city. But they will be back. If you do not want to live a life run by Caib any longer, turn your sights to the trains, and travel to the north for one week. On your return the city will have new leaders, and will be much more of . . . a city . . . that you want to live in." I lost it by the end, but I feel that my message was the same regardless.

Nobody said a word, they just stared. Some looked as if what I said was too complicated to comprehend; others shrugged it off and went back to what they were doing. It was true that I did not build up enough suspense to really grab the listeners, but I believe that my main problem was that there wasn't any danger that would actually make people leave their homes for the frozen tundra. I honestly never wanted to go back there, so why would anybody else?

"Wait, you can't leave yet, I have forgotten the most important part." Some actually stopped to hear. "The Hurdeen are coming and will destroy all of you. I have seen it myself, they are trying to be just as ruthless as the Terror Bringers, probably more so."

I did not have to continue, at the words "the Hurdeen" people started making a run for it. Pandemonium took over and I was genuinely scared to get off of the steps for fear I would be trampled. It was the most awful thing I have ever seen. Carts were knocked over; people who were unfortunate enough to miss my speech were thrown aside so others could get through. A middle aged man came up to me while I was clutching the railing for support from all the chaos.

"Are you sure they are coming?" He asked.

"Yes, but why is everyone freaking out?"

"The Hurdeen, miss, they are a hundred times worse than Caib. If we even try to leave the city they will be there to shoot us full of arrows."

He ran off into the crowd. It made perfect sense now. The Hurdeen are terrified of the Terror Bringers, and the Voratiots are terrified of the Hurdeen. Propaganda must be all the rage in both countries. What was really amazing was that the Voratiots were much more scared of the Hurdeen than the Hurdeen are of them. It was one more thing that was opposite of what was expected. Though you'd think that my outfit would have made them fearful, but I suppose they have never actually seen a real Hurdeen before.

The mass of hysteria was doing worse damage than the coming invaders could ever manage. Shop windows were broken, fire was set (accidentally I hope) to store fronts as more and more people heard the news and ran for the trains. I ran back into the building, up the stairs, up more stairs, to a room I had found earlier with a window facing the train station. From there I could tell that the train that was pulling out of the station had people hanging out of windows and on the roof. I chastised myself for not knowing how they would react. If I had known I would not have said anything of Hurdeen. But it didn't matter now, there was to be no one in the city and the Hurdeen would not find anyone to destroy. The only question left was to be about what I was going to do now that my work in Impiral was done.

I supposed for a while, watching the chaos from the safety of the abandoned capital building. I had a sense of history, as though what I was seeing was going to be talked about and dissected for generations to come. It kept me from reality, this sense; it brought me to a land where I was just a spectator, not a player in the changing to a modern landscape for this world. If it wasn't for me the invasion would have happened and all those people I met would now be part of Voratiot. Things have changed, and I have changed them. And in the time it would take to get me back to reality, not long now, the country of Voratiot lost its capital, and a new better world was finally in sight. I had a plan, and although I regretted the loss of life needed for it to work, I was very pleased by how I thought it would turn out.

I left the window vowing that it would be the last I would see of the north. There was a moment on the way down that I thought I should have gone back for one last look, but I fought it to continue outside to begin the plan that I had inadvertently set in motion. I felt the conqueror through those empty halls. Caib's office was wide open. I took the liberty to trash it by knocking over his desk and throwing his chair down the hall. In retrospect I have come to the conclusion that it was not my best effort.

The crowd had thinned in front of the building with only a few people still running for their lives. Smoke rose from various spots into the sky and I shook my head at the needless violence. Calmly and carefully I strode through town, knowing that I was within reach of my final goal. Now I was in full control over what was going to happen. The gates stood open for me and I gladly left Impiral behind. Back up the hill and through the trees. I had intentions to make it to Sorm by nightfall. I wasn't sure how long it was, and without food or drink with me I would have to call my old friend once again. Before I did I decided that I would try my luck with the Hurdeen who should have been close by somewhere. It took an hour, but after making it through endless trees and stepping into the path surrounded by fields I saw the red uniforms coming toward me. There was no reason to act cautiously, I was still a hero to them; at least I hoped I was. The leaders were in the lead. I hailed them with a friendly wave, they waved back.

"How in Hurdeen did you pass us?" The leader with the beard asked as I approached.

I sudden idea occurred to me, "My powers have grown, I am now able to teleport."

They all seemed highly awed.

"I need to tell you that there is nobody left in Impiral. They have fled the city at my hand. It is now time to go back and fight for your capital. Leave the rest to me."

"Our hero!" Shouts rang out from the lines of soldiers, followed by cheers that their work had been done for them.

"Yes, yes, now go back and defeat the Terror Bringers in Yim."

More shouts, and all at once they turned back and started the way they came.

"Wait, does anybody have any food?"

They saddled me with bread and water, to which I was much appreciative. I sent them on their way truly feeling that my plan was going to work. I had to look at it from an objective view, but it was hard after seeing the people and knowing that they might not make it.

They disappeared into the distance and I made lunch out of the bread and water. It filled me up and I was ready to go on to Sorm. Another hour went by and I was in the Forgotten Lands. The thought hit me to go and see Dimitrius to tell him the plan, but I feared he would talk me out of it. And then I came up with a better idea.

I knocked on his door. He answered, surprised to see me. He let me in and we sat in the same chairs that I was beginning to get accustomed to.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I have made a plan, and it's already set in motion, but I need your help with something."

"You can't read the instructions."

Now I was surprised. "That's exactly what it is."

"I figured as much, you can't get that Miggins guy to read it for you?"

"No, but if you went with me you could do it."

"I've been on enough adventures with you."

"You don't even have to travel like that; I can get Poiye to do it."

"Who is this Poiye?"

"He can teleport, or something, and can get you there in no time."

"If he can do that then why doesn't he read if for you?"

"I . . . I don't know."

"Nobody can teleport."

"But he can."

"Then I am sure he can do a lot more than that. I am not going back to the place where the leaders held me captive, and what's more they are being invaded as we speak, I saw them go through here. What puzzles me is why the Hurdeen went through here."

"I can't do it without you, if you come back then we can both go to Earth together."

He looked at the floor, sighed deeply, and then spoke. "You don't get it; I have no intentions of going back to Earth. This is my home. Going to Voratiot with you was my final act. Now I am to stay here and wait until Caib and Seraya take me away."

"Seraya is dead."

"When?"

"She tried to kill me and ended up being killed."

He looked at me suspiciously, "Are you sure?"

I pointed out a stain on my uniform; it was a darker red and so stood out. "That's her blood."

"My, that is fantastic, and I assume Caib will go soon if he still intends to fight. The Voratiots may have something to live for now that you're here. If only someone will get rid of the council, they are just as bad. It's just that nobody seems to realize it. Look at Sorm, if the council feels threatened in the least when this is all over every town will look like that."

"That's why I made a plan, so they will lose power."

"whose side are you on."

"The peoples."

"Sounds good to me. For the record will you tell me what you are planning?"

"I am going home. That's it. I want to put the idea of a free world in their minds and maybe it will work, but after that I am gone. I don't get it. They seem to listen to me in a way that no one on Earth does."

"You are new, interesting. I think they get that feeling about you like you got about the fuel stopper. What you say is better than what their leaders tell them." He said.

"How come you don't feel that way about me?"

"I've been to Earth too much to get that feeling anymore I think."

"So you will come with me?"

"No, if what you say is true, then I want to be here to see the new world."

There was no way to make him want to go. I left feeling that everything would be easier with him, but it wasn't to be. Once outside I called Poiye.

"Poiye, I need you, Poiye."

No answer

"Come on, Poiye, I need to get to Sorm."

Still no reply.

"Where could he be?"

I started down the board walk, hoping that he would show up at some point. Down the walk, through the maze, I stopped to get more delicious water, and out into the endless field that would take me to Sorm.

The valley came out of nowhere and I started through it. What I saw took the breath right out of me. The sky was growing ever darker from clouds of dark smoke billowing upwards from what used to be Sorm. The buildings lay in a smoldering mess. I stepped into the town, breathing through my shirt, taking in all the destruction. There was no one there, but the effects of the Terror Bringers were all around. Through the debris I made my way to the hole hoping that someone would be down there to give an explanation.

It took more time than I expected to get to the hole, with buildings in such disarray I couldn't find my way. Streets were strewn with debris, making it hard to figure out what was a street and what had been a row of houses. I finally found it. A large sheet of metal was covering it. It was heavy, but with some effort I got it out of the way and dropped down onto the ladder. The tunnel was refreshingly cool, the silence brought fears to me that everyone had been killed, but upon seeing movement from the cave I felt better. Everyone was spread out, nobody talked and very few moved. The largest group was on the natural stage, I went there first. I did not get noticed as I climbed the rocky slope. The people gathered over Meg, who was still bruised badly. She saw me and smiled, pulling her head up from the mat she was on. I was surprised she was still alive.

"How is it out there, have they left?"

"Yes, they are gone." I whispered, feeling the weight of the situation for the first time.

"Is the town really gone?" She asked, her voice trembling with the sheer thought of such calamity.

I nodded. She sighed deeply in distress and dropped her head to the floor.

"Why are you here?" She sounded tense.

"I wanted to make sure everyone was alright. I have to ask you to stay here for as long as you can. I have a plan that is underway and will bring about a new and better world."

No reaction from anybody. I took this to mean they no longer wanted to hear from me and so I took my leave. As long as they stayed put they would be alright. There was no reason for me to stay, but something did not feel right about leaving so soon. It could be put on me for Meg's current situation, but they did not blame me. Come to think of it, it could all be put on me: the invasion, the destruction of their home. But I had to stay focused, if all went well then they would have a new home, a better home.

I left the town breathing through my sleeve, the smoke and debris was too much to take in all at once. My next stop would be Thurm. A little part of me suspected that it would not be much different than Sorm, but I hoped that it would be regardless. That would be my last stop. If I could get everyone out of Thurm, or at least into hiding then my plan would be complete, the only thing left would be to hope that the two armies finished themselves off; effectively getting whatever leaders left to see that there should be a change in how things are run. It was a long shot, but with these people there was no way of telling what was going to happen. It all seemed so backwards. Every time I thought one thing, something else would happen.

The church was untouched, perhaps not even the invaders wanted to mess with the gods. I did not see Jared, hopefully he was still hiding. Te valley disappeared and more open fields took its place. I began to wonder why I never saw anybody on the road in either direction in my time there. No merchants, no travelers, nothing. Only an army on its way to conquest. It was such a weird, yet valid point to make, and one with no answer that I could come up with.

The day waned to evening, the air grew colder, and I wished the whole time that I could just get to Thurm. I was tired and hungry, having eaten all the bread and drank all the water. It was time for me to go home, and soon I would get my wish, though honestly I wasn't sure how. At the moment it didn't matter, what mattered was that I was doing something good for the people of this place, and that when it was all over things would work themselves out.

I wanted to call Poiye, but evidently he did not want to talk to me. Either that or he was predisposed. I don't know what mystic teleporting guys do when they are busy, but I assumed it would be something important.

Wind blew at my back, and I was glad it wasn't blowing at my face. I had time to kill so I started thinking about the other inhabitants of this crazy world. The other places the Terror Bringers had conquered must not be too different than the Hurdeen, but what were the other people like across the seas, over the mountains, and to the south? Were there any? And if so were they just as weird as the Hurdeen, or were they closer to the people from my own world. Maybe they knew all about this part of the world but stayed away because they find the people strange.

"You assume that you are different than the people here."

I flipped around. Poiye was walking right behind me.

"So you can read minds now?"

"There are no differences between the two sets, humans are humans."

"And which set do you belong to?"

"Instead of concentrating on the differences between them you should be concentrating on what they are doing."

"I'm sure you'll tell me what they are doing."

"It wasn't the Terror Bringers who burned Sorm."

"What?" I said, stopping in my tracks.

"The Hurdeen set it on fire as they came through the first time."

"Why would they burn their own town?" I asked in disbelief, trying hard to understand something so unintelligible.

"The leaders demanded it; they've never liked Sorm, thought it too close to Voratiot."

"That's it, that's the reason they gave?"

"You must understand that these people are the same as they are on Earth."

"No they're not, these people are nuts destroying their own towns."

"Those on Earth are capable of doing similar, and have shown it many times."

"Yes, but these people are so simple minded. They believed that I had the best idea they've ever heard, and it was so simple. They drive me crazy."

"Many things drive you crazy. The Hurdeen trust you, and you want nothing to do with them. The longer you protest being here the more you refuse to believe that there is still a way to get home without the Technology."

"I'd like to know that." I whispered.

Suddenly his face changed to a frown, "Bessie, there is danger here that I have only recently begun to see."

Seeing the look on his face I wanted him to continue, but did not want to ask it.

"You are very close to it," he said, "and I need you to uncover it for yourself. It will make things make a lot more sense."

"If you could just give me some kind of lead then maybe I could."

"The Hurdeen are not all who they say they are. What you need to do first is to evacuate what's left of Thurm and worry about everything else only after that task is completed."

"The rest of . . ."

I stopped short. It was night and we were outside the walls of Thurm. With only the light of the moon and stars it was hard to see, but I could make out smoke billowing upwards into the sky. I ran to the gates and looked in. It wasn't as bad as Sorm, there were still some buildings standing, but most were on the ground, the last traces of a huge fire were evident. Citizens were all around calling to loved ones and pouring water on what little flames were left.

"This is the world that they live in, be glad you don't."

"I am." I said.

There was a rush of cold air and Poiye was gone. I ran inside the city and started to go around offering help. Everyone was so distraught they did not even seem to see or hear me. The town square was crowded with families trying to figure out what had happened. I continued on until I found Janey's house. Her father Impran stood outside the smoking rubble, shaking his head.

"Impran, what happened?" I said as I came up.

"They said they were Terror Bringers, but they wore red . . . just like you."

"I'm not with them, I promise."

"What are we going to do?" He shouted at the smoldering pile of wood in front of him.

"I think I may finally be figuring out what's happened in the past week or so." I said, my eyes were on the wreckage but my mind was on what Poiye had been saying.

"I don't care what happened. I only care about what we are going to do now. Janey is in the cellar of the neighbor's house if you want to see her."

"Actually I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you to leave the city and get as far away from here as you can and stay there until I come get you."

"Why?"

"Well, I thought that the fighting will come back this way, but now I think differently. I can't explain now, so I guess you can stay. If I'm right then the fighting will not come this way."

"I am very confused."

"So was I, but not anymore."

"Howard, is it true that there is this Bessie character around? I have heard that she is the reason the invasion occurred."

"What?"

"They say that she told the Voratiots to invade. She is the cause of all of our troubles."

"Who says this?"

"Everyone."

I ran out of the city without another word to Impran, knowledge was rushing through my head. It was all so obvious, but not at the same time. The leaders of both countries were hiding their motives very carefully, and it was up to me to set things right. I was beginning to realize that I really was the only person that they would listen to.

I went at a full sprint down the road until I couldn't anymore, but I had to get to Yim before it was too late to reverse the damage. I no longer had my lantern so I used the bright full moon to guide me. Poiye was at my side at the call of his name, and we zipped straight to the edge of the forest within sight of the door to the underground. If I had gotten there several hours before I would have been surprised to not see any fighting, but now it all made sense.

"Thank you for that hint." I said to Poiye.

"Thank you for realizing it was a hint."

He left me there again, and I quietly tiptoed to the door. It felt so much better figuring out what was going on as opposed to him coming out and telling me. The door stood slightly a jar. A mini cannon held it open. I carefully opened it and stepped inside. Some of the lamps that hung on the ceiling of the underground passages were broken, others flickered obnoxiously. I crept down onto the ground, careful to look in all directions at every corner. This was the first time that I had been inside by myself, and so had no idea as to where I was going. It didn't matter. After the first few lost minutes I heard voices carrying from deep within. I followed them, sure to stay in the shadows. Farther in I made out the voice of the old council member who always sat right in the center of everyone else. He sounded happy, like something amazing had just happened. It wasn't the voice of someone who was in a great war with opposing forces.

A door stood up ahead, it was half open, with bright warm light showing through. I snuck up and took a look inside. It was a large room, that being an understatement, it was huge, much like the hanger that Dimitrius's Technology was in. A stage was erected on the far side. The ancient council member stood on it, Caib at his side. The room was filled with the red and black clad soldiers I had seen, and others who were not soldiers. Caib now spoke.

"We have come to terms with this arrangement, and it will be better for the rest of us in the future. What you have heard about us can only be attributed to gossip. The people of our country of Voratiot are very happy, very happy indeed, and will welcome you with arms wide."

"Yes, yes, Caib is correct," the elder council member said, "this is a great day for celebration."

"Indeed it is. Has anyone seen Seraya yet?" Caib asked the audience.

"She's dead." I yelled.

I had come through the door and now stood in the back, all eyes turned to me. The air was deflated right out of Caib at the news. He didn't look grief stricken, but he did look a little sad.

"How?" He asked.

"She died trying to kill me."

"Terrible news," The old man said, drowning out Caib's retort.

"And do you know what else?" I asked the audience, "It seems that they have wanted to kill me on purpose."

Angry yells came from the crowd, making it official that nobody told them the news of who really started the invasion.

"Now now, calm down, it is just a misunderstanding is all." The old man shouted over the ruckus.

"They have had this planned out from the beginning. The battle was staged to make it look like a takeover; they already had the agreement from the start. They set fire to Sorm and Thurm and then blamed it on me."

The shouting continued, I had the citizens of Yim right where I wanted them, and they had their leaders looking scared. By the looks of terror on those two's faces I knew that I was right.

"They only called me here so it would look like I messed up everything and they would bring it back together to show how great the two countries could work together. And while I believe that a unified country is what you . . . we need, we do not need them as the leaders."

The simple minded people who would do anything a new wiser source of information told them to do were listening to me with open ears, and now their own leaders were the enemy. Poiye was right that they did trust me. If only Caib and the old timer knew that.

"Enough!" Caib shouted. Everyone fell silent. "Yes, everything you say is true; we do not know how you found out, but . . ."

He never got to finish. At the word "true" a surge of true anger shot up the stage in the form of red clad soldiers, bringing down their own terrible government with shouts of rage. The pandemonium lasted until there was no Caib, no older official, just two beaten bodies that defiled their people for the last time.

I was truly scared and backed up against the door, not wanting the anger to flow out to those around me. The weight of the soldiers was too much for the stage, which snapped with a sickening crack and fell to the ground. A mass of red and black flew all around, I lost track of where the two leaders were until their bodies were flung from the crowd and landed before me. Soaked in blood, they were remarkably still alive.

"What are your orders?" Someone asked me.

"I'm not going to give you orders except to say clean these two up and let them live. You all need to find your own leader."

I walked from the room feeling that it was the perfect time to leave, letting them get a feel of mystery about me. I wandered down the halls, not paying attention to where I was going. My mind was filled with the events of the last few minutes. It had happened so fast that I still wasn't sure what happened or how it exactly occurred. There was nobody in sight, and I continued on through the depths of the passageways feeling better than I had for a long time. It was a strange feeling after seeing two people get beaten, but I had a feeling that those two had done many things worse than I had heard about or seen.

I found myself at another exit into the early light of morning. I went out, needing the fresh air, and saw the castle not too far away. My legs mechanically went toward it while my mind was still occupied. I was about to turn back when I saw someone enter the castle, someone who looked extraordinarily like Poiye. I came back to reality, leaving my thoughts until later and went to see if it really was him.

The main doors stood open, I entered. It was completely vacant except for someone who had their back to me. It was indeed Poiye, I called to him and he turned with a smile on his face. There was evidence of damage all around. A giant hole in the wall showed where a cannonball had hit it, debris was littered everywhere.

"Did you know," he announced to the empty castle, "that two major countries have just lost their leaders? It won't be long before the news spreads to every town and every person, even those in the frozen north. It looks like the two countries are going to have to rebuild and put someone in charge."

"Like who?"

"I would hope someone better who can lead a unified country into the future."

"So you are answering my questions now?"

"I should say that there was a reason for me to be mum."

"Which was?" I asked, getting closer to him.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked with a smile reminiscent of the ones he used every time I asked a question.

I had a feeling I was finally going to find out who he was, and so nodded without hesitation.

"To tell you why I never answered your questions I must first tell you my story."

This was it, I felt like I was about to see a movie I had waited years to see.

"This world and your own are not the only two. There are others, many others. I come from one of them." He paused, as if deciding whether or not to continue, evidently he decided to. "We were the first to find the power to cross the dimensions. Our scientists were trying their hardest to create a teleportation device by folding space; it is a difficult idea to some so I will continue without much detail. One day, when I was very small they succeeded, or so they thought. They did not create teleporting in one dimension, they created teleporting through dimensions. It was a single energy source encased in a ball of material you are not aware, but think of it as plastic. Pandemonium ensued, when the world found out what really happened wars started. Everyone wanted the power. The scientists were slowly killed, and my father was brought in to take care of it. But he did not want to, so he entrusted it to me, by this time I was fifteen. He told me to take it and flee the dimension to destroy it so that nobody could have it. I did as I was told and ended up here. I appeared in the north in the same place that you saw the ice dancers, and I threw it in the frozen lake, hoping nobody would find it. It was not so, three years later Dimitrius was at that Lake to get marsh oil, as he was with you, and he found it. It was so new, so alien to him that he had to have it, and he got it. Do you remember when your father found the part of the Technology and could not stop thinking of it?"

"Yes." I said mystified at what I was hearing.

"We become obsessed with things from other dimensions, I don't know why. That is why your emotions have been suppressed here."

"No they haven't."

"Don't you think you should have shown a little more emotion for everything that happened?"

He had a point, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Dimitrius was obsessed. He extracted the power and put it into his Technology, thinking that it was a normal power source. He created the Technology as a plane; he was very surprised to find that it did more than that. Now to the reason I did not answer questions. I thought that if I asked, or answered, then you would feel alright about asking me questions, and there are so many I didn't want to, or couldn't. And so I had to get you out of the habit at the start, but I never did."

"Why did you help me, and where did you go when you disappeared?"

"Those who come in contact with that power are then inundated with it and can use its power long after it has left their hands. It is much stronger than even my dimension's scientists ever knew. I can do more things than I ever could before. I am the only one left from my own dimension that can. Dimitrius is the only one from this dimension, but he has not yet figured it out. I helped you because when you arrived I felt that you would be the one to make or break this world. You were new here and still had the amazement factor that I did not. It wears off after a time. If you did things wrong then it could have easily ended up the same as my home, just a burnt out shell of its former splendor. But if you did things right, then this world would find a new beginning, past the terrible leaders who wanted the power at any cost. Trust me; if Caib and Uuran (the old council member) found out about the power source, they would have stopped at nothing to get it. Luckily Dimitrius never fully understood it, and so could never tell of its actual power. I could have taken the Technology and destroyed it years ago, but it took time for my powers to get stronger. I was never able to transport something as big as the Technology until recently, and then you arrived. I could not let this world destroy itself through those two horrible leaders. In a way I used you to make this world a better place. And I went home some times. Other times I followed you but you couldn't see me.

"So what happens now?"

"Now is the time for you to go home and for me to finish business here. I will take the Technology to another dimension, hoping to finally get rid of it."

"You can read their language?"

"No, but I can take you home. Remember the power is now within me, there is no way to get rid of it. Is there anything else you need to do here?"

What more would I want to do? Now that I knew I was about to go home I wanted to do everything again. I wanted to see Janey, race a shuirrel, see ice dancers, but now it was time to go home. I missed my parents so bad, and school. School! I'll bet there's a stack of late work waiting for me. I knew that it was time to go home; the people here could last without me. It would seem strange though, the people seeing me as a hero one second and then I vanish the next. I wonder what they will think.

"You will be a legend." Poiye said, as if reading my mind. "They will talk about you for years to come. It will really be something to hear one day."

"Will I ever come back?"

"If you want, you know how to contact me."

This was perfect. Now I didn't feel bad about going home if I could come back whenever I wanted.

"But you have to remember," He said, "that nobody can come with you. You already know of this world, and nobody else can."

"Do you really think it would be that bad if someone else knew?"

"No reason to take chances."

I was ready to go back, but I didn't know how it was going to work. Did I have to do anything? I was about to ask Poiye when I saw something strange behind him. It was as if a large pool of water was hanging in midair. He smiled at my confusion and stood out of the way so I could see it better. It showed a room, one that I had never seen before. There was a metal table and some chairs around it. On the table was something that looked familiar, and then I got it. It was the missing piece of the Technology. Right as I figured out what it was, a man entered the picture. He walked up to the table and sank down into one of the chairs, his face buried in his hands. He spoke, but I could not make out what he said. I had a feeling that I knew who it was, but I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong.

He moved his hands away from his face and I instantly started crying, it was my father. He looked so distraught there in his lab coat, sitting all alone, calling my name. I wanted to be there with him, to tell him that I was alright.

"Go." Poiye urged gently.

I moved closer to the floating water screen. He nodded at me and I stepped into it, wanting nothing more than to be there. It really was water; it flowed across me, refreshing me as I went.

I stood in the laboratory, completely dry, staring across the room at my father. He slowly looked up at me as if I was just an illusion ready to disappear at a moment's notice. He stood, tears flowing freely. We were both a mess, but we didn't care. I ran at him, and before he knew what was going on I embraced him, smelling the usual odor of his heavily scented soap. I took in everything I could for future memories.

All the emotions that were hidden throughout the last week or so came spilling out all at once. I couldn't hold back, and I didn't want to.

"Bessie, thank God, I thought . . ."

"I know," I cried, "but it doesn't matter."

"Where were you?"

"I'll tell you later."

It was the single greatest moment in my life. There was nothing else to say, we were both so relieved that it didn't matter what was going on anywhere else in the world or what happened in the last week. The Hurdeen didn't matter; neither did the Voratiots or anything else in any world. The only thing that mattered was that I was home. I had a feeling that I would not complain about things being boring ever again.

Time fell away in those moments. At some point later on we went home where I fell apart again when seeing my mother. The next few days were spent with me retelling everything that happened. I couldn't tell it all at once because there was so much that I still wasn't sure about what actually happened. I don't know if my mother fully believed me or not, but my dad did. He found the retelling so exciting; I was fulfilling his most whimsical fantasies with each new event I told about.

Within a week I was back in school and everything was going back to normal, but it would never be the same. There were times that I would wake up in the middle of the night and think I was still in Hurdeen. It took several minutes each time for me to fully become aware that I was finally home. Once I was at the store and was sure that I saw Poiye, I followed the guy around the produce section for some time before he mysteriously vanished down another aisle. Whether or not he was actually the person I thought he was or not I don't know, but it didn't matter. I am sure he watches me even now, waiting for the time that I call to him wanting to go back, but I really don't think that I will ever want to. I am perfectly happy at home. That is where I will stay, though I certainly will not mind him coming to visit if he ever wanted to. I doubted that he was that kind of person. I was alright with that. I had enough adventure for one lifetime; any more would just be unfair.
