by Day Leitao
Sian turned back from one of the front seats. “What what?”
“Just a dream. Why are we flying?”
He laughed. “Was I in your dream? I would hope I’d hear something nicer.”
Karina just stared.
He closed his eyes and shook his head fast as if waking himself up. “Right. Uncomfortable. Is it worse than sleeping on these seats? Or is it double uncomfortable? For me, it’s just that I’m still tired and forgot to turn on the filter between head and mouth. Having to overthink everything I say is also uncomfortable, you see?”
“Don’t assume I’m dreaming about you, and you won’t have to turn on any filter.”
“I’m not assuming. I’m talking from experience.”
Oh, the nerve. “Cause every girl dreams about you? How can you even know that?”
He frowned. “That’s not at all what I said. Hey, I’ll go back to my best behavior. Wasn’t I nice last night?”
Karina smiled. “You were.”
“And that’s how you want me to behave around you?”
“I just—I don’t want to fear that at any moment you’ll turn around and say something flirty.”
“Oh, no. That would be disgusting, wouldn’t it?”
“Not disgusting. Just—”
“Forget it,” he said as he raised his hands. “But thanks for the reminder.”
She didn’t like to see him upset, but at the same time, it was his own fault for being so dramatic, almost as if he wanted to make her feel bad for not wanting to be teased. The worst was that she had been indeed dreaming about him. But that was normal, wasn’t it? She had spent time with him right before falling asleep. Faria was also in her dream, and that didn’t mean she was in love with her.
9
Siphoria
Karina looked out the window. The moon illuminated some mountains far away. “You decided not to sleep?”
He kept looking ahead. “We’re almost in Siphoria. I wasn’t that tired.”
Karina remembered vaguely getting back to the lift and passing out on the back seat. She must have slept just a couple hours, woken by her dream. This lift was different from the ones she'd seen before, because it had a lever and some switches, whereas the other lifts Karina had seen had just a panel, and the controlling was done by moving the hands over it. So many things to understand, and so many to ask. She moved to the front seat. Sian was sitting back, one hand on his lap, the other fiddling with his hair. He turned to her and smiled. A smile, not a smirk.
Karina tensed. “How does it fly?” The question popped out of her mouth.
“Hydrogen in the top container.”
Yikes. “But that’s highly flammable.”
He considered. “Not if it’s sealed tight, though. It’s enveloped in many thick layers. Even if a lift caught fire, it wouldn’t touch it unless it burned for hours.”
Hours? Karina had seen one of those explode before, after being on fire for just a few minutes, and although she’d been told she had caused the explosion, now she started to question if she could really have that much power. She also questioned that tower exploding, but it wasn’t a good idea to think about explosions while on a flying craft because she didn’t want to accidentally cause one. She turned her thoughts elsewhere. “How does it move?”
“Propeller on the back.”
“Oh.” The technology in Whyland wasn’t that different after all. “We have gas balloons,” Karina said. “In my, uh, dimension. But the top is much bigger.”
Sian considered for a moment. “Your balloons then must depend solely on the gas to stay afloat. We have propellers that help with the lift. It's not just the gas—if that’s what you mean.”
That made sense. A little different, but it made sense. Funny how he answered her questions so easily. That combustible top came back to her mind, and she almost asked how exactly it was involved in so many layers, but then again, it was better not to think about anything flammable while in the air. Karina looked out the window.
They approached what looked like a silver ribbon on the ground, which was a river reflecting the moonlight.
“Is that the Silver River?”
“Yes.”
“Are all your names that literal?”
Sian laughed. “Maybe. One day they were descriptions, right? Before they were names.”
Soon lights came out in the distance, in that glittery or Christmas light look cities had when seen from the air, stretching as long as the eyes could see, but only on one side of the river. They descended among those lights and came to a small landing pad where there were two other small lifts. They looked worse than Sian’s, very old and patched up. There were none of the sleek army lifts Karina had seen before. Sian asked Karina to wait inside while he went out. He spoke to a man in his fifties who seemed to know him well. Sian got back and opened the door.
“Let’s go.”
Karina stepped down. She didn’t have a purse or a backpack. The only thing she carried was the shawl wrapped around her, as the weather was still a bit cool. They walked by the riverbank towards the city.
Sian said, “I’ll find some of my friends there.” Sian looked away then looked back. “Listen, I don’t think you’ve ever met people like them before.” He stared at her. “Don’t be afraid. And try not to judge them. You don’t know their stories.”
That was unfair. “I don’t judge people.”
He smirked. “That’s certainly for the best.”
Like with everything when you see it for the first time, Siphoria wasn’t like she’d imagined it. It was artificially lit on the ground, by what looked like lamps beneath glass blocks, but it wasn’t glass. There were no cars, horses, or any other moving vehicles other than some rails, and she wondered if streetcars ran on them. Even though it was the middle of the night, the streets weren’t deserted. There were people on the street including some in the blue army uniforms here and there. Karina figured they also performed police duties. The houses were close together, near the streets, painted in bright colors. Most buildings were two or three stories high, but some had up to five floors. Karina noticed a young boy in a side street looking at them attentively, then looking away. Further down, she saw someone on a roof.
“Are we being watched or is it just an impression?”
Sian laughed. “Both. It’s a correct impression.”
“At this time at night?”
“That’s when you keep watch.”
He didn’t seem too worried, so she didn’t worry either. They came to an old house and went down a narrow staircase leading to a door. Sian was about to knock on it when the door opened to reveal a slender woman in her 60s, greying dark hair tied into a bun.
The woman opened her arms as if for a hug, looked at Sian, and said, “Aw, if it isn’t the light of my life.”
Sian grinned but didn’t hug her.
The woman relaxed her arms and didn't seem upset. She glanced at Karina, then said, “Come in.”
They were indoors in what looked like a deposit, with wooden and metal boxes, then they went to what looked like a large restaurant, with many tables, but empty.
The woman turned to Sian. “How dare you disappear for so long? No news, nothing.”
“I sent some news,” Sian protested.
“That you were alive. How precise.” She looked at Karina. “And who is she?”
“This is Karina. Karina, this is Malena.”
Malena looked at Karina, at Sian, then back to Karina. She pinched Karina’s cheeks. “Oh, you’re so adooooorable!”
That was a first. Not even Karina’s grandma had ever done that to her. Karina tried to keep a neutral face and a smile.
Sian said, “Listen, we’ll need rooms for tonight. And I’ll meet some friends in the evening.”
“Rooms? In the plural? You can’t leave a girl like her alone in a place like this.”
Karina didn’t like where this story was going. But it was Sian who protested, “I can’t—”
“Don’t you worry.” Malena winked at Sian. “I get you.” She looked at Karina, “It’s for safety only, dear. Please, I’m not suggesting you… I'll show you your room.”
Thank goodness she didn’t finish her sentence. They went up a flight of wooden stairs and walked through a dark corridor. Malena opened a door to a small room with a bunk bed. Karina sighed in relief. Indeed she wouldn’t want to be alone in a room in a place she didn’t know, especially when she wasn’t sure if some creepy creature would be coming after her.
Malena left the room and Karina was left with Sian.
He said, “She’s right, actually. It’s not a good idea for you to be alone.”
“I know. And I’m tired.”
“Yeah, we should rest.”
As odd as it was, Karina had never slept on a bunk bed. “Can I go on top?”
He smiled, not his usual smug smile, but a silly, happy, stunned smile. “Whenever you like.”
Someone knocked on the door.
Malena’s voice came through it. “Have you eaten yet?”
Sian jumped to the door and opened it. “I thought you’d never ask.”
They went back to that empty restaurant. Malena brought them something that looked like a vegetable pie. Karina was hungrier than she had realized, and the food tasted great. They later ate some kinds of cake and fruit and drank juice. That was the best meal she’d had in Whyland, and that was a lot, considering she had eaten in the castle before, with Cayla. Sian didn’t have any problem eating and didn’t refuse anything. He also seemed to be really hungry.
They went up to the bedroom, Karina climbed to her bed and lay down. It was uncomfortable because she didn’t have any pajamas or comfortable clothes, so she lay with her jeans and tank top on.
The reality that she was in fact in another dimension, about to spend some time there, dawned on her. Perhaps she hadn’t had the time to stop and consider anything while running from kyons or leaving a strange village. Here, lying down and about to sleep, her reality hit her. Below her, a guy she barely knew. Well, she had met him before—when he’d taken Cayla hostage. Not a great moment, granted. He had also been planning on attacking his own brother and taking the kingdom by force. But he ended up not attacking anyone, so maybe he wasn’t so bad? It was better not to think too much.
Karina woke up and the room was bright with light coming from the ceiling. It looked like a semi-translucent ceiling from where come from, but it was just the way a lot of the illumination in Whyland worked. Still, it probably meant that it was already day. She went down the bunk bed. Sian was not there. It was good in a way because she needed a bit of privacy. There was no bathroom in the room, so she went to the hallway. There should be a bathroom there, but there were so many doors, how would she find it? Well, in theory, the door would need to be different, and maybe, hopefully, there would be two doors, one for women and one for men. Karina found four doors that looked a little thinner, at the end of the hallway. She tried one. It was locked. She tried another, and it was open. And yes, that was a bathroom, with a hole in the ground, a sink, and a bathtub.
When she was washing her hands, she heard, “Karina, Karina!” Sian was calling her.
She opened the door. “I’m here.”
He exhaled as if relieved. “Don’t disappear like that, or you’ll kill me.”
Odd. Or maybe not. That was exaggerated, dramatic Sian. A tall girl with dark skin and long blond hair in a braid was beside him. She wore pants and a jacket in some kind of leather and looked fierce and menacing, the neat kind of fierce look Karina sometimes wished she had.
Karina shrugged, “Well, I…” she pointed to the bathroom.
He nodded. “Sure. Listen, this is Alessa. She’s a friend, and she’s here to protect you.”
There was something not so pleasant about it as if Karina was going to be watched or looked after as if she were a child. “Do I need protection here?”
Alessa smiled at Karina and extended her hand. “He said you’re new in these parts. I can show you lots of things.”
They shook hands. The girl had a strong, firm grip and a warm smile. Karina was ready to like her.
Sian raised his hands. “Good? I’ll leave you two together. I have a few things to do.” He turned around and left.
Karina thought he was a bit cold and distant, and figured it was because he was in front of his friend. Or maybe she had imagined something that was just not there. Perhaps she’d thought that his talk of protecting her was an excuse for something else. But now that he had simply assigned someone else to look after her, she realized it was really about protecting her. Well, duh. Anyways, at least she didn’t have to feel bad that she’d asked him to stop acting flirty.
Karina was watching him walk through the hallway and disappear on the stairs when she noticed Alessa’s eyes on her.
“You’re close, then?” The girl asked.
“I barely know him.” That was true.
The girls went to the bedroom. Alessa had brought clothes for Karina. No pajamas, alas. But then, she wasn’t sleepy anymore. There were no dresses, probably because of the cold. Karina tried a pair of pants. They were too tight.
Alessa looked at her. “I went by his description, and I think I got it wrong.”
“How did he describe me?”
“Cute and sweet.”
Was the girl was teasing her? Testing her? Karina laughed. “Well, no wonder you got the wrong size then, that says nothing about my body.”
Alessa also laughed. “Lucky you. No, he said you were a little smaller than the princess. I guess that was my bad. I don’t really know what she looks like. I got you my sister’s clothes. I’ll get you some of mine, so you’ll blend in better. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“My house. It’s a short walk from here.”
Walking in the city sounded fun. Karina got up and wrapped herself in the shawl.
Alessa frowned. “Oh. You’ll freak out some people with that thing you have.” She must have been referring to the shawl. Alessa took something from her bag. “Here. It’s ugly, but at least you won’t stand out.”
It was a sort of a grey cloak, but not really grey, rather it looked like it used to be black but was now faded.
Alessa pointed to the shawl. “This is typical from the southern villagers, and some people used to think they are magic, but there’s another problem. You were wearing that when you came with Sian. Many people know him. I am trained and I’m a good fighter, but I’d rather not cause a ruckus. Someone could want to attack his girl.”
“I’m not—”
“I know. But they don’t.”
Karina sighed. Ugly faded black cloak it was then.
As it was day, she could see more of the city, and it was brighter and more colorful than she’d realized at night. Karina had been right, and the rails were indeed for streetcars, but not like old streetcars Karina had seen in pictures, as the ones in Siphoria had rather a sleeker design and were silver. The ground on the streets looked like cement, but then maybe it was just something similar.
After some twenty or thirty minutes, when Karina started wondering what the girl’s definition of short walk was, they stopped in front of a red house that didn’t look different from many others. Alessa opened a door leading to an indoor garden. There, she went to a stone wall, opened a door that hadn’t seemed to be there before, and they descended two flights of stairs. Alessa’s house was large, without windows, but with light coming from a bright ceiling. It had a huge middle area with seats and tables, and doors leading to other rooms.
They entered Alessa’s room which had a walk-in closet. The girl pulled some clothes and spread on a sofa. Zoe back home would freak out if she knew Karina was letting someone else do a makeover on her. Karina looked at the options, then finally found brown pants, a green shirt, and a brown jacket.
“How do I look?” Karina asked.
Alessa smiled. “You’ll blend right in.”
<
br /> “But… Do I look good?”
The girl laughed. “I don’t think you need to worry about impressing anyone.”
Was she implying not only that Karina wanted to impress Sian but also that it was useless? Karina snapped, “I don’t dress for other people, it’s for me.”
Alessa shrugged. “Then your opinion should be enough.”
No kidding.
Alessa must have noticed Karina’s expression. “Did I say something wrong?”
Karina was going to leave it, but she decided to be honest. “You said I was trying to impress someone. Sian is the only someone I know here. I mean, if you think I’m trying to impress him—”
“I didn’t mean that. I meant the exact opposite. I’m sorry. If you want my opinion, you do look lovely, but that doesn’t depend on how you dress.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t look lovely in that grey cloak you lent me.”
“Lovely is quite relative, isn’t it?”
Karina laughed. No point being upset about something silly. Alessa laughed as well.
Alessa then took Karina to a shop after insisting and saying it was part of her job. Karina didn’t argue much because she did need some changes of clothes, especially underwear and socks. The clothes were for display in a long corridor with a counter at the end where a lady brought the right size. The socks were wool or something similar, but thin, and the panties were made of something like cotton, and shaped like shorts, but tight. The one bra she got was like a sports bra, and she also got a pair of soft pants and a shirt for sleeping. That was nice. But then a young woman came and measured Karina, which was a bit over the top.
“Is this necessary?”
Alessa shrugged. “It’ll fit better. I always get mine custom, with little pockets for the things I carry.”
Bizarre. “Your underwear?”
Alessa laughed. “My pants and jacket. You don’t want to wear the same thing for days, do you?”
“I guess.”
“Then pick a couple outfits.”
Karina shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” Fashion blind in her own dimension, Karina would hardly be any better here. “You can pick for me.” The girl was actually quite stylish. “Whatever you’d wear.”
