by Blair Drake
“I’ll freeze to death before I figure this out,” she mumbled. “How do I get out of here?”
“Try. Believe me. You can do this,” the voice whispered.
This time when the voice stopped talking, she felt a void in her mind, like the voice really left her this time. She had no idea what to do about her situation. It was hard, considering the voice in her head was so cryptic. Try?
“Was it that simple?” she asked Winter.
The mouse didn’t answer. It appeared to have fallen asleep on her neck. Possibly, under her long hair was the warmest place he’d seen in his short life. She sat down in the same position she’d woken up in, held her arms tight against her body, her right palm cupped around the mouse, and stared at the talisman in her left hand.
“Take me back home,” she said in a commanding voice.
Nothing.
“Please take me back home again,” she said, phrasing her request politely. What politeness had to do with it, she didn’t know. She tried every combination of words, tone, and demeanor she could imagine. And finally, she wrapped her arms around her knees and dropped her head there. With the talisman tucked against her belly, her mind spun endlessly looking for answers...and came up blank.
“I hope everyone else is safe,” she whispered. “Especially Annalise.”
Her heart went out to the youngest member who had a terrible time fitting in. Annalise felt inadequate and incapable of handling the atmosphere at the school. Melissa, who was a loner before befriending Luke, had been the same, so she reached out to Annalise, helping her adjust. They quickly became great friends, making Melissa’s last year much nicer too. With a gentle smile, she reached out mentally and gave her friend a hug. “I hope you’re doing better than I am,” she whispered. The feeling of love and companionship was so intense that, for a moment, it felt like every bit of her glowed.
She leaned back, opened her eyes, and gasped in shock.
Something had changed in a major way.
She stared in hope and confusion. She was still on the ice but no longer in the same place.
“What the hell?” She jumped to her feet and looked around, hearing the startled squeak of the mouse. “Sorry, Winter,” she said. “But I moved…how?”
She had moved about ten feet. Only ten feet, but it was a big enough distance she could actually see it, and no tracks showed how she’d moved.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around this. Ten feet was not the ten thousand miles back home—if she were all the way in Antarctica—but … her ten feet was astonishing. Still bewildered, she surveyed where she’d been.
It was so shocking.
This was a major turning point. She closed her eyes and thought about exactly what she did and in what order. Melissa wrapped her arms around her friend in a mental hug, wishing Annalise well. When she was ready, she stepped back, opened her eyes, and frowned. Nothing had changed.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” She glared around her. “I thought that was a great second attempt,” she called out. “Just saying…”
Maybe she had to go back to where she started this from—the original portal. She frowned, got up, returned to where she’d been, and sat back down again.
“Portal, open for me.”
She opened her eyes, but nothing obvious was in front of her. She grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a snowball, and threw it in front of her where she landed the last time. The snowball didn’t appear to go through a portal because it sat a few feet in front of her.
She refused to give up. If she made herself move once, she could do it again. Preferably before she got colder. She closed her eyes, thought about Annalise again. As soon as she thought enough time passed, she opened her eyes. Nothing had changed—again.
“Oh, for Christ sake,” she screamed. “How much is enough?”
She remembered the mouse and gently felt her collar for him but found no sign he was still there. She cried out, “Winter, where are you?”
She twisted around, searching for him, but he was gone. Saddened by losing Winter, but encouraged by her portal hop, she refocused on getting home. She tried again and again. Finally, she threw herself back onto the snow behind her and glared at the darkening sky. “I want to go home. I want to go home now.”
Nothing happen. She squeezed the talisman as hard as she could. But again, nothing. Lying here, tears in her eyes, the chill from the snow settled well under her wet clothes. All this time, and she’d gotten nowhere. She placed the talisman against her cheek and held it close. “If you can talk to me, please help. Please tell me how to get home.”
She waited for the voice to come back, but there was no response. She couldn’t quit now. She got up and deliberately walked back and forth between the two spots where she landed, searching for something…anything...and found nothing. The darkness aggravated her search, so she stepped back again. “Okay, so this must be the spot, but the portal is not open. What must I do to make a portal open?”
No answers came. She’d never felt so alone in her life. A year ago, whenever she was having a hard time, she could run to Luke. He’d wrap her up in a hot embrace and just hold her close. She smiled, remembering those special times. A chilly wind blew across her face, blasting directly into her eyes. Ice snapped against her cheeks.
She blinked against the sudden tears and wiped the corner of her eyes. Nothing had changed.
Or had it?
She looked sideways to see a weird, almost white light in front of her, but she’d seen stuff like that before. Although it was usually around living things, like people, animals, trees. Nothing here explained its presence. She reached out a hand to touch it, and it blinked out of existence. “Wait…”
But it was gone, leaving her frustrated and so tired she couldn’t think clearly. “Jesus! Look, I could really use some help here. I’d take a hug too if one was offered.”
She rubbed her eyes. She was still sitting; she hadn’t moved. But something was different. That odd shimmer was back. She put out her hands to touch the white light. It was a big ring, taller than she was. A portal? Really? Still not sure what she’d done to bring it into existence, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity. She took a deep breath and placed one leg inside.
Instantly an odd vibration bounced up her spine. Her skin tingled, her muscles throbbed. She didn’t know what the hell this was, but something was happening.
She turned back to look behind her. Melissa saw nothing different. She looked forward; an ice field, nothing different. She stepped in deeper now. Whatever was behind her disappeared, but she couldn’t see what was in front of her yet.
“It’s a portal, great. But it leads nowhere. It’s like I stepped through nothing.”
But that was not right. Portals were supposed be doorways. So maybe that hadn’t been a portal. Or maybe it wasn’t open? Was there one door or two to each portal? She took a step back mentally and called out, “Portal, open up.”
A peculiar door appeared in front of her. She could see the same shimmering edge to the odd, door-shaped whiteness. Once more she reached out to touch it. Her hand immediately went in and disappeared. Yes, this looked more like it. Excited, she said, “Portal, take me back to Vancouver Island.”
The portal remained closed. She sighed. “Can you take me close to Vancouver Island?”
Nothing.
“No, apparently not.” She reached for the talisman, held it against her heart, closed her eyes, and whispered, “I wish I was home.”
The talisman heated in her hand, but the portal remained closed. “Okay, that was just too ridiculous. You will let me walk right through and take me where I ask to go,” she roared in a commanding voice. “This time I’m imagining someplace warm. How about a Caribbean island?” Despite her best attempt, a pleading note entered her voice.
And she stepped forward through the portal.
And froze.
She was warm, staring at a blue sky and a bluer ocean in front of her. Was she on a Caribbea
n island, or at least what she assumed was a Caribbean island with the palm trees in front of her? It’s what she asked for, and the portal delivered. The spot was truly gorgeous with bright, translucent blue water. She as surrounded by lots of white sand, palm trees, and grass. It was also hot. Almost instantly her skin was soaked from the humidity.
But the shock of going from cold to warm, from icy fields to a long, white beach with crystal-blue water, was as much of a shock to her senses as the original blast she woke to in the arctic region.
She couldn’t be happier. This was way better than the snow. The potential of portal travel was huge. She wanted to scream from the treetops, share what she learned with the world and especially her friends. She was damn proud of herself.
She danced in a circle. With a big happy sigh, she faced the ocean and turned her face to the sun. She shoved her hand into her pockets…
And jumped.
Then heard the squeak…
“Winter!” She carefully scooped him into her hand and brought the slightly panicked animal to her cheek. “Were you in there the whole time?”
He twisted to face the sun as if shocked himself.
She laughed. “Stick with me, little buddy, and you’ll go places you’ve never seen before.”
Thankfully, he seemed completely content to stay close, or he was too petrified to move.
She cuddled him close. Now that he was no longer in his own environment, she had to look after him. She had no idea how he’d survive if he escaped on the island, and she had no intention of letting her first experience at portal travel end in such a disaster.
She still had to find people.
She pulled out her cell phone to check for a signal, but there was none. She tucked it away again. With Winter cradled in her hand, she stared at the palm trees and grassy underbrush everywhere. She was on a small island surrounded by salt water.
It was time to search the island. Slowly, loving the feel of sand versus snow, she walked the beach island with Winter in her hand...and found no one. She was stuck on a deserted island, all alone somewhere in the sea.
“What the hell?” She shook her head. “Where is everyone? And really, is this scenario any better than the last one if I’m still alone?”
Chapter 3
“Well, at least I’m not freezing.” She wrinkled up her face as she pulled the already sticky material of her shirt from her skin. The heat and humidity were unbelievable.
“Look at me. I’m covered in sweat, and yet I managed to go from the school to a winter nightmare to a tropical island. So, however I’m doing this, it’s totally cool.” She did a quick dance step and headed toward the water. How many times had she wanted to go to a deserted island and just escape the world she was in? Too many times to count, yet here she was. There was such a sense of accomplishment.
The waves rolled gently toward her, lapping at the edge of her happiness. She gazed out over the endless blue sky and ocean. Nothing was out there but more of the same, so this was not a place she could stay for long. Winter sat on her shoulder again, completely content, bizarre yet heartening. She was alone…but not completely alone.
Still, she wasn’t home.
A prison was still a prison even if on a beach.
Then she remembered the voice in her head. “Hettie? Are you there?”
No answer. Bending over, careful not to dislodge Winter from his perch on her shoulder, she slipped off her shoes and socks, rolled up her pants, and stepped into the water. It was warm, wet, and so very tropical feeling. The blues blended from one to another in an incredible array of shades.
She saw at least a mile of white, sandy beach and palm trees waving in the wind. She tilted her head back, turning her face to the sun, and closed her eyes, letting the heat soak into her soul. “Now, if I could only come and go with my friends for a picnic,” she said to the empty space around her, “I’d be delighted with this location.”
But, as always, there was no answer.
Putting on her shoes and socks, ever mindful of Winter on her shoulder, she walked over to sit under a palm tree. She leaned against the trunk and assessed what she did right so she could repeat her portal travel. Going home was still the goal. Besides, wasn’t it lunchtime?
A ripple of laughter sounded through her mind.
“I get you are watching me,” she announced. “Or at least I hope you are. You said this was a quest. If so, why didn’t we study this in class? Instead of those boring subjects, like calculus and chemistry, and all those horrible English tenses?”
She shifted in the sand and closed her eyes. Inside, hope bloomed as she considered all she’d done and all she could potentially do.
“Let’s figure this out, Winter. I know you don’t understand the issues, but my school has a reputation for being strange and full of secrets. There are rumors of a missing student.” She frowned. “Considering the portals I’ve made, and this quest, maybe he disappeared while doing his own?” A distressing thought hit her. “Please don’t let me go missing. I want to return safely.” Nor did she want her friends to be lost.
She had to get back—and fast. Besides her own ticking clock the voice told her about, she had to do what she could to save Annalise and her other classmates from that fate.
Speaking of which, she pulled the talisman from her pocket and turned it over. It still glowed lavender, still pulsed. The outside ring of lights, once complete, was now missing two lights. Instantly, fear struck. “Several lights have gone out of my talisman. Did I break it?”
Frowning, she closed her eyes and called out, “Talk to me, please. You told me to open a portal. I did. Not too well obviously, because I am sitting here on a deserted island. Still, it’s better than freezing in winter wonderland, but I’m not home. Why not?”
That’s for you to figure out.
The whisper wasn’t even a voice as much as it was a thought drifting through her mind. “Can you show yourself?
Silence followed until…
What was that? She opened her eyes and tilted her head, straining to hear, but didn’t hear it again, neither had anything changed around her. Reaching up to stroke Winter helped her feel better. After several deep breaths, she closed her eyes again and said, “Are you here to help me?”
“No.”
The voice was so soft, so gentle, so caring it brought tears to her eyes.
“Am I going to make it home?” she asked, feeling a sense of loss at the thought.
“If you want to, and if you’re strong enough.”
“I want to. I don’t know how to become stronger. Tell me what I need to do. I’m not brilliant at school, but I’ve always applied myself. If I didn’t do well, it wasn’t because I didn’t try.”
“Stop trying. Feel instead.”
Once again, panic reached up and grabbed at her throat as she heard the voice in her head fade away. “Please don’t leave me,” she rushed to say. “I’m scared here alone.”
“And that is your lesson.” The voice disappeared.
“Lesson? What lesson?”
She struggled to maintain some semblance of control. She didn’t dare fail this quest, lesson, whatever. Most of the time in school she managed to get marks in the mid-seventies, but occasionally she did terrible. Yet she managed to always skim over that fifty percent mark.
A horrible thought slammed into her: the last thing she wanted was for just half of her make it home. Gruesome images instantly filled her mind with multiple options: only half vertically, half of her horizontally, only one arm, or front to back.
She shuddered. “Stop it,” she ordered. But the panic was instinctive, rough against her nerves. She was scared to be alone. No…she was petrified.
Anybody would have a hard time being alone here, especially after what she’d been through. She glanced at the sky to see the sun beating down on her without a cloud on the horizon. There was a flatness to this place, as if she was on the outside looking in. She reached out and scooped up a handful of
sand. She picked up a stone, examined it, then threw it at the palm tree, hard. When it hit the branches, no birds flew up from the branches.
She walked back to the spot where she arrived and realized she needed to remember exactly where it was because the portal was there. If she lost the spot, she wouldn’t find it again. It could be the only one here. She didn’t know if she needed to return to the same spot to leave again. But wasn’t going to take the chance of losing it just in case… Gathering up rocks, she quickly made a circle around the area where she landed.
She sat down in the middle of the circle, checked Winter was doing fine, and said, “I want to go home.”
But nothing happened. If she couldn’t get home, could she get closer? She thought about Annalise before, making her first portal jump of ten feet. Focusing on her friend, Melissa tried to wrap her arms around Annalise and hug her. She opened her eyes and realized it wasn’t working this time. She closed her eyes and tried a half-dozen different ways. All her attempts to open a portal failed. Finally, she shrugged, looked down at her talisman, and asked, “How do I go home?”
A whisper simmered through her mind. It was like sensing a brief smile inside before it disappeared.
“Hey, I get you’re probably laughing at me, but this is very frustrating. It’s also scary as hell.”
“Because?”
“Because it’s different. I don’t know the rules. I’m all alone with no one to help me figure this out.”
The whisper once again said, “There’s that lesson again.”
And the voice went silent.
“What does that mean?” she cried out with her hands up in the air. “It really sucks when you do that.”
But the voice was long gone.
“So much for that idea,” she muttered. She curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her knees, thinking of all her friends. Winter was still asleep on her neck, thank heavens, but he didn’t talk and couldn’t help her sort this out. Yet, he gave her immeasurable comfort by just feeling his warm body, someone alive here with her. That brought her thoughts back to those she left behind.
