by Ben Cass
Doyle laughed heartily, throwing his head back. “I look forward to it,” he said, his voice sounding amused. “So...you really want to know how I found you?”
She nodded. “I do. I don’t want you to relive all the painful parts, though. Just give me the SparkNotes version.”
He threw her a confused look. “SparkNotes?”
“Cliff’s Notes?” she asked instead. “Ringing a bell?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
Jen rolled her eyes. “Just give me the highlights.”
“You couldn’t have just said that to begin with?” Doyle asked. He went to the wall, pulled a small rug off of it, and spread it out on the ground next to Jen. Folding his long legs beneath him, he sat down, and Jen joined him. She smiled suddenly; a memory had just returned to her. She remembered Doyle was a sucker for a hand massage, so she reached out, took his hand in hers, and began massaging it.
“Um, just out of curiosity,” Jen asked, “why do you have a rug hanging on the wall of a barn?”
Doyle laughed. “Kira brought it with her. She said if she wanted to spend time with Theonus, then she’d need something nicer to sit on than the barn floor. She’s not a fan of farms.”
He closed his eyes and sighed, his body starting to lose some tension. For several minutes, neither of them spoke. Jen just kept massaging his hand, trying to relax him. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and content.
“We searched for weeks for you. The Tayamu helped me, scouring the entire planet, but there was no trace. You were pronounced dead, but I insisted you must still be alive. Nobody wanted to listen to me, except for Hisaar. She believed me.”
“Who’s Hisaar?” Jen asked, feeling a small stab of jealousy explode in her chest. She berated herself mentally. Of course he has female friends, Jen. You have male friends.
“She’s the Tayamu historian, and also serves as our head combat trainer and sparring partner. She’s really, really tough to fight against. I’ve only bested her once, and gotten my butt handed to me more times than I could count.”
Jen smiled. “Sounds like my kind of girl.”
Doyle nodded. “She’s a real unicorn.”
“Well, obviously,” Jen said. “To find somebody who can kick your butt? Totally a unicorn.”
Doyle’s eyes popped open, and a smile crinkled his mouth. “I’m not using slang, Jen. I don’t mean she’s a special, rare person. I mean she’s a unicorn.”
Jen’s hands paused in their massaging, and she looked into Doyle’s eyes, searching for that twinkle that always accompanied a joke. There was none.
Omigod, he’s serious!
“A...unicorn? Like, a unicorn, unicorn?”
He nodded. “Nothing like the unicorns in your fairy tales, though. She has the foulest mouth I’ve ever heard before. I learned how to swear from her.” He grimaced. “And then was reminded not to by my sister, who took malicious glee in hitting me for swearing.”
Jen’s mind was spinning, but she forced it to stop, ignoring all the new questions. “Okay...so a foul-mouthed unicorn believed you. Sure. That makes sense.”
“She told me about the dimensional rifts, and how it was possible you’d entered an unknown one,” Doyle said, closing his eyes again. Jen resumed massaging his hand, gently running her fingers along the calloused palm. She wondered how his palm would feel on her stomach, and shoved that thought down as Doyle continued talking.
“The rifts are places where Kiamada’s dimension of reality intersects with this one. There’s one here, on this property, in the woods behind us. There are others around Groverton. Basically, your entire forest is full of them.”
Jen nodded. “Kira mentioned them before, but she didn’t get into detail. So we just walk in and—poof!—we’re in a different universe?”
“Basically, yes, although you do have to be consciously thinking of your destination. The rifts tend to happen in forests, sometimes islands. Don’t really know why. Anyway, after the Tayamu were destroyed, I spent time building the order back up, and once I felt they were ready, I told them I was leaving to find you. The new First, Seaile, was...displeased...with me. She seemed to take my leaving as a personal insult.”
Jen wanted to ask more about this Seaile, but he continued, “Anyway, long story short, Theonus and I found Kira, met Jerry, and made up a plan. We spent years searching this world, seeking out Kiamadans in hope of finding you. They’re not particularly easy to find, unfortunately. Theonus can sniff them out, but only if they’re within about a hundred yards of him. We had to travel to all the areas with known rifts, and even that was a long shot, at best, since we had no way of knowing if they’d moved on or not. It was hard to get Theonus into many of those places, given his size. We had to come up with a lot of workarounds, because I had to have him with me. I can’t smell Kiamadans, or even sense them in any way. It’s not like they wear name tags.”
He paused, and Jen quietly exchanged his hands, beginning to massage the other one. She could sense the emotion rolling off of him, and a stab of guilt hit her heart.
“Just when I’d started to lose hope, we got the break we needed.” Doyle looked at her, and a radiant smile lit his face up, filling her with happiness. “I was out shopping when I overheard people speaking in Katorin. Do you remember what that is?”
Jen thought about, and found she did. “The old tongue, right? What we’d call Latin here.”
He nodded, pleased. “Yes. Katorin is not spoken often in Kiamada, since we speak English, just as you do here, but some people still speak in Katorin. Anyway, I heard this and knew I’d found Kiamadans. I introduced myself, and learned this young couple was in town visiting family. They’d both been born here on this Earth, as had their parents and grandparents, but they knew about Kiamada, and had visited several times over their lives.” He tilted his head. “And to think that you knew them.”
“I did?” Jen asked. “Who?”
“Jimmy Madsen and his wife.”
That was a surprise! “The Madsens were Kiamadan?”
“Well, a couple generations removed, but yes. That’s where they moved to. They decided to go live there.”
Surprise after surprise! Jen shook her head, trying to process everything.
“I described you to them, and Jimmy instantly said the description sounded like the news anchor in their small town. He invited me to come stay with them, and Theonus and I traveled there as quickly as possible. When we arrived at the Madsens’ place, Theonus and I both felt the power of the rifts. Jimmy confirmed it for me, and we figured out you must have come through one of them. This entire area was not one the Tayamu had mapped, so Hisaar had been right about you entering an unknown rift.”
Jen lifted his hand to her mouth and gently kissed his palm, feeling the roughness against her lips. An image suddenly flashed into her mind: those hands, running along her bare skin, up her neck, down her shoulders. It wasn’t a daydream; it felt like...like a memory, just like the last time an image like this had popped into her brain. The image left almost instantly, leaving her temporarily disoriented. What the hell?
Doyle was talking, and she forced her attention back to him. “Jimmy turned on the evening news for me, and I saw you for the first time in twelve years.” He hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed. “I might have wept like a baby. I don’t really remember the next several minutes. I do recall collapsing to the ground in relief, and Shelly Madsen sitting down next to me to wrap her arms around me. After that, it’s all a blur.”
Jen couldn’t stop herself. She leaned forward and tenderly kissed his lips, lingering for a second or two before sitting back down, feeling moisture in her eyes. “And yet you waited to come find me,” she said gently. “I can’t imagine the level of self-control that took.”
“I didn’t wait,” he admitted. “Shelly told me I needed to have a plan, not just go up to you and start talking. I refused to listen to her, so Jimmy agreed, however reluctantly, to take me to see you.”
Jen raised
an eyebrow. “I didn’t see you, though,” she said. “Not until I literally ran into you on the sidewalk.”
He sighed. “I know. But I saw you. You were relaxed and happy, talking on the phone with somebody. Elowyn, I think. I could hear your end of the conversation, and you were obviously in a good place with your life, so I decided not to make myself known at the moment. I spent weeks trying to build up the courage to talk to you. Jimmy and Shelly had already decided to go to Kiamada, so he pulled some strings and got me hired at the school, which gave me a reason to be here in Groverton. You know the rest.”
She knew he’d left out a lot of stuff, but it didn’t matter. She had an idea of what he’d gone through, how dedicated he had been to looking for her, and her love for him burned in her chest. Jen leaned forward and kissed him again.
“Well, you can stop looking for me,” she said gently, kissing his mouth after every couple of words. “Because I am never, ever leaving you again.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jen sent Doyle into the barn’s small bathroom to shower and change, and then she set out recreating a bed on a mattress of hay. The blankets she’d carried out last night were still there, but neatly folded, so she took those and spread them out on the hay, doubling them up to make an even softer surface. She grabbed the pillows and set those down, too.
Jen, Ellie would like to speak with you. Theonus’s voice popped into her head. Would you like me to tell her you’re busy?
No, she replied back. I’m going to make Doyle sleep for a while. Send her out.
She sat down on the blanket and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. There were so many things she needed to know and so many things Doyle apparently didn’t want to tell her. Jen still didn’t know how to deal with Ellie and the Astons being Kiamadan.
Is that why they took me in? Could they sense my Kiamadan blood somehow?
The idea was ludicrous, but so was the idea of a giant, saber-toothed dog who spoke telepathically and, according to Ellie, loved to sing.
Her sister slipped through the barn doors a few minutes later. Jen saw her and called out, “Down here!” Ellie turned her head, smiled, and quickly walked to Jen, her arms wrapped around her torso. “More pain?” Jen asked, worried, but Ellie shook her head.
“Not really. Little soreness. I'm mostly just trying to adjust to the extra weight and curves. Things feel...weird. And I know I’m not that much taller, but it’s enough to throw me off.”
“Honey, you grew five or six inches. You’re now the same height I am.” Jen smiled gently. “You are that much taller.”
Ellie shrugged. “Guess so. It’s definitely weird, seeing the world from this height.” Her eyebrows suddenly shot up. “Can you imagine how Kira must see it? Or Doyle? We must be like ants to them.”
Jen patted the blanket, and Ellie sat down next to her. “What else is up?” Jen asked. “Aside from second puberty, I mean.”
Ellie groaned. “I hate that word. It’s the second-worst word in existence.”
“I know,” Jen reminded her. “That’s why I said it all the time when you were twelve. It made you so uncomfortable. Not as effective as menstrual, though.”
Ellie shuddered in disgust. “Stop! I can’t take it! Ugh!” She rubbed her ears. “We have euphemisms for a reason, Jen.”
Jen held up a hand. “I promise to behave myself. I make no such promise on Doyle’s behalf, though.”
Ellie looked horrified. “Please don’t tell him. I just know he’d find a way to work both words into every conversation, just to mess with me.”
“Probably,” Jen agreed. “He won’t hear it from me, though.” She put an arm around Ellie’s shoulders. “What did you want to talk about?”
Ellie traced her finger along one leg, which was noticeably longer and more muscular than it had been yesterday. “We’re leaving for Kiamada soon, right?”
“In a few days, I think. Why?”
Ellie was quiet, so Jen hugged her. “What’s bothering you? Something’s wrong.”
Ellie sighed. “My friends. Maddie and Abby and Olivia.”
“What about them?”
“Maddie texted Kira to ask if they could come over to see me tonight, or if I wanted to meet them at the Festival instead,” Ellie replied. “I know I might never see them again, so I want to meet up, but I don’t think I can.”
Jen raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
Ellie looked at Jen, astonishment in her face. “Really?” She ran her hands along her body. “Ever seen a girl go from eleven to seventeen overnight? Cause I’m sure they haven’t. I mean, I could claim to be padding things, but the height and muscle gains? No way to explain that.”
“Of course there is,” came Doyle’s voice. Jen watched in amusement as Ellie’s face turned red and she tore her hands from her body quickly. Jen glanced behind her to see Doyle walking toward them, wearing a pair of pajama pants with yellow ducklings on them, carrying a shirt in his hand.
“Nice pants,” Jen said, nodding at them, a smile on her face. “They actually came in your size?”
“I miss my world,” Doyle said, “but when I go back, I might miss the internet more. You can find anything on there!” He looked down at Ellie, an eyebrow raised; she was looking away, trying to be casual, but the burning cheeks gave her away.
“I don’t see the issue with your friends, Elowyn,” he said. “Just tell them.”
Ellie’s jaw fell. “Seriously? That’s your answer? And I should say...what? I’m actually from another dimension and my body is changing more rapidly than is possible in our world?”
He shrugged. “That should about cover it, yeah.”
Jen raised her eyebrows and exchanged confused looks with her sister. “You’re joking,” Jen said. “The man who lives to keep secrets is advocating sharing the biggest one of all?”
Doyle pointed at the blanket. “May I sit?” he asked.
“Of course,” Jen said, moving over. Doyle sat down next to Ellie and pulled the shirt on over his head. Jen didn’t miss Ellie’s eyes giving him a quick once-over when his head was covered by the shirt.
Jen couldn’t blame her, since she was doing the same thing. The urge to tear clothing off came back stronger than before, and she again forced it down.
What was up with her?
“Look,” he said, tucking the hem of the shirt in, “I’m all about secrets, obviously. I keep them as naturally as I breathe.”
“You’re still keeping a lot of them right now,” Jen said, unable to stop herself. He looked at her, but just nodded.
“I am, yes. From all of you, including my sister, which is going to get me in huge trouble with her eventually. Anyway, I mostly keep secrets when the truth is uncertain or could cause some kind of harm to others. I don’t see how this could harm your friends.” Jen heard the word mostly, but chose not to comment on it at the moment, because her sister’s eyes were wide in disbelief.
“He’s joking, right?” Ellie asked Jen. “Because I can’t tell at this point if he’s being serious or sarcastic.”
Doyle put an arm around Ellie’s shoulders and pulled her into him, kissing the top of her head before letting her go. Jen fought down a smile at the combination of delight and embarrassment on her sister’s face.
“Let’s be logical for a moment,” Doyle said. “Do you want to say goodbye to your friends before you go?”
“Of course I do.”
“Do you want to see them, hug them, all that stuff?”
Ellie nodded.
“So you have two choices. Option one, you hide underneath the covers and don’t let them see you at all. You could tell them you’re now hideously deformed and they’d die from the sight.”
Ellie smacked his shoulder hard. He just continued, “Obviously, that’s not the case, which leaves you option two, where you tell them the truth about everything.” Doyle shrugged and stretched out on the blanket, folding his arms behind his head, sinking into the pillow. �
��Your decision. Personally, I know which I would choose.”
“I do, too,” Ellie said, “but that would mean telling them about you.”
He shrugged again. “Do you trust them?”
“Absolutely,” Ellie replied, no hesitation to her answer. “We’ve been keeping secrets for each other since we were little.”
“Then I’m not worried.” Doyle laughed. “Besides, even if they did talk, who’d believe them?”
“He has a point,” Jen said to Ellie.
Ellie thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded. “You’re right. Man, this is going to be one awkward conversation.”
“Worse than when I gave you the sex talk?” Jen asked, smiling.
“Nothing will ever be that awkward,” Ellie replied. She combed her fingers through her hair. “I just don’t know where to start.”
Doyle laughed. “I don’t think it will be difficult to figure out. Once they see the new and improved you, they’ll start with the questions. Just answer them.”
“Mmm. Good point.” Ellie turned her back to Doyle and focused her attention on Jen. “Oh, before I came out here, Kira said she wants to take me shopping for new clothes today. I tried on the stuff we just bought, and most of it won’t fit anymore. She said we’ll go to Harris, since we probably don’t want people in town talking about me.” She thought for a second. “Guess I shouldn’t try to meet the girls at the Festival, either.”
Jen nodded. “Definitely a good idea. What are you getting?”
“Pretty much everything, from what Kira said.” She grinned. “Maybe I’ll follow your example, get a little more daring.” She pointed at Jen’s shirt.
“I didn’t buy this, remember?”
“No, but you wore it.” Ellie frowned and twisted her head and neck to look behind her. “Is he asleep?” she asked. “He's breathing heavily.”
Jen nodded. She’d seen Doyle’s eyes close and his face relax as soon as Ellie had changed positions.
“It’s nine in the morning,” Ellie said softly. “Why’s he sleeping now?”
“I found out he hasn’t slept since the night I went out jogging, if not longer,” Jen replied back, just as quietly. “He said Tayamu can go without sleep for several days, but I’d feel better if he got some rest. Once he’s awake, I intend to get some answers about some of those secrets he’s been keeping.”
