by E. J. Mellow
Moving to a circuit breaker, he pops its cover open. “You didn’t think I’d just open that door and we’d be where we needed to be, did you?” he asks as he runs his hands down the switches until he pauses over one in the corner.
“Yeah, I guess I kind of did.”
He chuckles. Instead of flicking the switch, he pulls it back from the panel to reveal a button. I feel like I’m in a James Bond film. He pushes the button, and I step back as a huff of air escapes from the top of the wall and the whole partition starts to descend into the floor.
Okay, maybe I am in a James Bond film.
I squint at the sudden stream of bright light that’s released as the wall comes down. When my eyes finally adjust, my jaw drops. I’m now standing in front of a giant white room, very similar to the white rooms I found myself in at City Hall. The reason it looks so big is because there’s hardly anything inside. In the far left corner is a circular blue-and-white pod that I’ve seen people walk in and out of in Terra—I guess it’s some sort of teleportation device. Against the left wall is a white padded rectangle that looks creepily like a futuristic coffin. And that’s it. Just those two things.
Rae steps inside and heads to the white coffin, which is what I’ll now be calling it no matter what he says it is. Touching a panel on the wall, a keyboard lights up and he types in some numbers. Other panels around the room begin to illuminate in that strange bluish glow. The glow that I now understand to be synonymous with the power Terra harness from the Dreamers.
I quickly find out why there’s nothing else in here: the rest of the equipment sits in the walls and floor. Rae walks back and forth, touching different images on multiple panels, causing the white coffin to move to the center of the space. Strange apparatuses ascend from the ground and surround it. All of this is so alien, and I start to shake from the adrenaline that’s coursing through my body.
I don’t think I can do this. Actually, I know I can’t do this. My heart wants to jump out of my chest, it’s beating so hard. I can’t get in that coffin. Is that even what it’s there for—for me to lie in? How am I supposed to fall asleep in this creepy room? And what are those strange white posts that came up from the ground? When my foot bumps into a box, I realize I’ve been backing up.
“Molly,” Rae calls to me. “What’s wrong?” He’s stopped typing at a keypad that’s next to the coffin and walks toward me.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whisper.
Rae’s brows come together and he glances around the room. An understanding passes over his features. Letting out a sigh, he reaches for me, and I subconsciously take a step back, almost falling over the box behind me. Rae catches my arm.
“Whoa there,” he says, steadying me and reassuringly places a large hand on my back. “Sorry, Molly. I kind of jumped the gun there and forgot to explain all of this to you.” He nods to our surroundings. “I didn’t realize how crazy this might look. It’s my first time acclimating a Dreamer.” His expression is sincere in his remorse. “It’s really all harmless. Can I show you?” He manages to coax me forward with a small smile. “Can I take your bag for you?” he asks as he points to my death grip around the strap. I’m not even sure why I brought it—it’s not like I’ll be able to get at any of the contents while I’m in Terra. It just felt weird to leave my apartment without it. A girl needs her purse.
I nod and hand it over. He places it in a drawer that pops out of the wall. “I’m going to store it in here, okay?” he says like he’s talking to a child, which I kind of understand because I certainly feel vulnerable and small at the moment.
“Sure.”
“Oh, by the way, I heard from Becca that you’ll be going away for a couple of days to stay with your parents down in Pennsylvania.”
“Yeah, I took care of my alibi,” I say as I poke the fluffy material that surrounds the interior of the white coffin. It molds to my finger like a Tempur-Pedic mattress.
“I still don’t know what to do about the ‘no texting’ though. That might be an issue.”
“No worries,” Rae says unconcerned. “We’ll figure something out. I’m sure Elena has a fix.”
“Who exactly is Elena?” I ask, slowly walking around the room, inspecting more of the strange panels that display symbols and numbers that hold no meaning for me. The longer I’m in here, the more I begin to relax. Most of this stuff merely seems like computer equipment. No dissecting knives and scary needles—at least, not yet.
Rae watches as I do my inspection, seemingly pleased that I’m not backing out of the room again. “Elena is very important to both the Vigil and Nocturna. Really to all of Terra. Think of her as the queen bee to the honey hive.” He walks to the closet door, which is still open. “I don’t want you to freak out, but I’m going to close this now. We need it shut since we won’t be coming back for a couple of days, and it would be weird for anyone to open that door and see all this back here.”
“Okay,” I respond, still thinking about his comment regarding Elena being the queen bee. I always thought she had a monarchical disposition.
“So what? Does she produce all the offspring or something?” I ask sarcastically and am rewarded once again with Rae’s deep infectious laugh. I know for a fact I’m not that funny.
“Not quite like that,” he says while he presses another invisible button, and we both watch the wall rise from the ground. Not until the opening disappears and we are now in a four-sided doorless, windowless room do I feel the onset of another panic attack.
“Molly. Molly, look at me,” I hear Rae say, and I strain to focus on him. I can’t breathe…I just can’t breathe. There must be no air in here. When the door closed it took all the air with it.
Something cool fills my hand, and I glance down at a glass of water. How did he get that in here? Rae opens my other hand and drops a very small white pill in it. “Here, take this. It will calm you down.”
Without question I drop the pill in my mouth and swallow, chugging all the water with it. After a moment, my heart rate slows and my mind regains composure. “Feel better?” Rae asks. I nod. “Man, I’m really sucking at this on-boarding, huh?”
I don’t respond, because I suddenly feel drained and need to sit down.
“Molly,” he says again, and he’s so close that I feel like I’m going to fall backward from craning my neck to look him in the eyes. “I just want to say that I think you’re really brave for doing this.”
I manage a small smile. Am I brave? From the multiple panic attacks I’ve just had, I would have to say no, but then I did fare rather well after the Metus run-ins. Still, I find myself saying, “I don’t know if you should call me brave just yet,” while glancing at the white coffin.
He wraps an arm around my shoulder. “No, you’re brave. If you weren’t, then you wouldn’t have been chosen for this.”
I shudder slightly at his ominous words. “You think?”
He gives me a squeeze. “I know.”
Rae walks around the room and explains how many of these white panels are exactly what I thought they were—a form of computer screen. What he’s been typing in are coordinates to his dimension and setting up my sleeping pod, a.k.a. white coffin, to hold me in my dream state for the next few days.
He also explains how the weird poles that originally freaked me out next to the coffin are sensors that will monitor my body as well as allow me to nourish and relieve myself while I’m sleeping. He actually had to explain this a couple of times, because the very idea that eating and going to the bathroom in another dimension will affect my sleeping body here is insane. I’m extremely thankful that I don’t need a catheter or anything uncomfortable like that. It’s going to take me a bit to wrap my head around how this other dimensional stuff works, at least in the rules of Terra.
After I ask why I can’t just walk into the portal that Rae himself uses to go between worlds, his face grows serious and he gives me the short answer: It’s too dangerous for my molecular makeup. Once through, I
most likely wouldn’t be able to come back—if I made it there in one piece to begin with. I’ll be sure to ignore that side of the room.
“Are you ready?” Rae asks after he’s done setting everything up.
Oh God. Am I ready? No, I don’t think I will ever be ready. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
“Good.” He smiles. “Do you have a T-shirt under that hoodie?” I’m confused by his question but nod.
“Perfect. You’ll only need to be in your T-shirt and pants. You’ll see why it wouldn’t have mattered if you were in your clubbing clothes once you’re in the sleeping pod.”
After taking off what needs to be taken off—careful of my nervous sweaty pits—Rae assists me into the pod. As soon as I lie down, I let out a sigh.
Holy baby angel wings, this is comfortable! “Wow.”
“Right?” Rae says.
“It’s almost like I’m floating in water. And it’s so warm! But like…perfectly warm.”
Rae nods, and I want to laugh because I feel so silly lying here and looking at him hovering above. “Yeah, this is a new material you guys will be seeing out on the market in a few years. It feeds back your body temperature, but at five degrees higher, so it’s like being wrapped in a blanket. It also molds to your body, similar to a Tempur-Pedic mattress but with ten times the receptor structure.”
“Sure, whatever you say,” I agree distractedly, nestling my head into the material. “All I know is, this feels awesome.”
He bends closer. “This was made from a dream, you know.”
“You guys made this come true?” I ask in awe.
“No, you guys made this come true—we just gave a little push.”
“Always so humble.” I feel like I’m a little girl who’s about to be tucked into bed.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road.” He stands and disappears from my view. I realize now how difficult it is for me to sit up in this thing, even if I want to. It feels almost like it’s pulling me down.
“Molly,” calls Rae from somewhere out of view, “I can see your heart rate accelerating. Try concentrating on your breathing to slow it down. And remember, there’s nothing to be worried about.” His voice gets louder, and he pops his head over me. “You’ll be back in Terra soon, and I’ll be right there with you. So will Dev,” he says with a grin before he disappears again.
Dev. I hadn’t thought about Dev really at all today, and now suddenly lying here knowing he’s waiting for me on the other side has me in a weird panic. Not because I don’t want to see him, but because there’s a large part of me that is excited to, and that somehow feels wrong. How will it be between us, now that Jared and I are most definitely exclusive? Those stolen kisses can’t happen again. My body grows deceptively warm thinking about the last time that happened and the fact that I won’t be able to wake up to get a reprieve if it gets to be too much. What if it’s all too much? What if I never find the strength or the power to fight the Metus like everyone expects me to? Both times I’ve fought them and survived have seemed like flukes. What if I really get hurt? Will I wake up then, unharmed in my own world? Why didn’t I ask any of these questions before?!
My breathing grows erratic despite my better efforts to control it. Fear for my health flashes through my mind as there’s a prick in my arm. I blink up to see Rae removing a syringe from one of my veins. My heart rate spikes.
“What the hell was that?” I glance at him, wide eyed.
“Don’t worry—it’s safe,” Rae assures. “You’re going to start to feel tired now. What I gave you is a sort of anesthetic.”
“Well, next time friggin’ warn a girl before you stick her with a needle. That’s not really acceptable behavior around here,” I scold shakily. My reprimand seems pathetic given that I’m yelling from inside a marshmallow bed.
“Sorry.” Rae cringes. “I’ll definitely warn you next time. But don’t worry—this really is all safe, part of the protocol.”
I nod, my anger slowly slipping away into sleepiness. With great effort I have another quick rush of uncertainty, really hoping this is the right thing to do. But I trust that Rae is telling me the truth, that this is safe, that I’ll be fine. And surprisingly, I find strength when I think of Dev. As much as we fight and he annoys me to no end, I know deep down he would do anything to protect me.
“If you want, count down from ten. It will help you relax,” Rae instructs.
Ten. I count in my head. Nine…
Soon what Rae says takes place, and I start to relax.
Eight… My eyes begin to droop and my limbs grow heavy.
Seven… I feel the sensation of being wrapped in warmth, and I’m slightly aware of the dimming lights of the room.
Six… My breathing slows, and any fear I felt seconds ago lifts away like a fog.
Five… “I’ll see you soon,” says a male voice, but I can’t place where it came from.
Four… My life leading up to this moment feels very far away and hazy, like a distant memory.
Three… I don’t know what my new life will be like, what tomorrow will bring, but for the first time, that hole that’s always been inside my chest fills up. It sits full and warm and ready.
Two… I blink slowly to darkness, then Rae smiling reassuringly, then darkness. I lift my eyelids fleetingly one last time, trying to hold on to this place that has always been my reality.
One… My eyes close.
For an unknown amount of time, all I feel and taste and see is black.
And then…
My eyes open.
And all I see is blue.
Acknowledgments
Well, here we are. The sort of end, but actually very beginning, of something I’ve been working on for many, many, many moons. Five hundred warehouses full of moons. Okay, maybe more like three hundred, but you get the point. I couldn’t have arrived here without an armful of some pretty amazing people.
Right out of the gate I have to thank my family, to whom part of this book is dedicated. Ma and Pa, you always nudged us to color outside the lines of life, and I am forever grateful. Please always stay your crazy, wacky, artistic selves. Alex, Phoenix, and Kelsey, what can I say? You are my sisters beyond sisters. You were the first eyes and ears to this crazy adventure I’ve been determined to go down, and I thank you in the squishiest of hugs for reading the first draft of this book and all the other short stories and beginner manuscripts that came before. I shudder at the writing you’ve had to endure along the way. Thank you for being kind!
To Dan, my midnight peanut butter and cereal companion. Thank you for sticking with me through my morning, midmorning, afternoon, midafternoon, and nighttime freak-outs that have come with writing this series. You are always the light I see at the end of my neurotic-filled tunnel. I could not have come so far without you. I love you.
To Corinna Barsan, I am forever humbled that you took the time to read and give notes on the first draft. Your mentoring and insight with everything in life and literature means the world to me. I owe you a lifetime supply of morning coffees.
Julia McCarthy, my editor extraordinaire who made this book pretty, thank you for all your amazing suggestions and notes and for being my biggest fan. You are one of the smartest and most loveably talented people I know.
To Dori Harrell from Breakout Editing, your proofreading is what made this book so shiny and clean. I smile in anticipation every time my inbox dings with your name. I am forever grateful for finding you!
To Mercy Lomelin, your typography skills took my cover from humdrum to hell, yeah! Thank you for being my companion in all things nerdy—I don’t feel as lonely wearing my cape when you sit beside me in yours.
To my book club ladies and go to women, Jessica, Lauren, Alicia, Erin, Nicky, Meg, Eman, Courtney and Giselle, your support is what keeps me breathing every day. I love you all tremendously.
To my beta readers, specifically Brittany and Brianna, thank you for being my sounding board.
To the self-publishing co
mmunity, the RWA, and all the writers who’ve been there to powwow and commiserate with on the long process of writing, specifically Todd Dillard and Shannon Wixom. Thank you for calming my fears, cheerleading my ideas, and sharing your talents. Pen pals for life!
To Emma Raveling, your genius, kindness, and general all-around badassery (yes, that’s a word), inspire me daily in my own work. I’m so grateful for the day I found you and your incredible books.
To my high school English teachers, Micheline McManus and Katy Kenney. Your passion for the written word saturated my every pore, and I am forever honored to have been one of your students. Everyone go hug a teacher! They are the foundation of everything that’s possible in our world.
To all the other friends and family that I am unable to list individually here (only because it would be another novel in length), your words of encouragement make doing this a lot less scary. I am bowing in gratitude for being around so many wonderful people.
And lastly, but without a doubt most importantly, I want to thank you, the reader. Thank you for taking a chance on an indie author (and for making it to the end of this). Your support is what gets me up in the morning. I hope you like it, because there’s more to come!
Keep reading for a glimpse of
The Divide
Book II in The Dreamland Series
Chapter 1
The world is dark, as it always is, and the sky seems to spin on an axis as millions of shooting stars dance across its abyss. With hands gripped tight, I attempt to race them forward. My eyes tear as cool night air slaps across my face and filters through my hair, sending it flapping out behind me—a flag in the wind. My feet sway left and then right as they dangle above a city of sleepless souls, my body barreling ahead at the whim of a predetermined path set by a zipline. With my heart pounding in my ears and my stomach tightening where my throat should be, I prepare for the rapidly approaching landing. It looms in the distance, getting larger as I shrink, the buildings around me reclaiming their majestic height and returning me to my human one. The glowing bulls-eye in the center of the square platform pulses blue, a beacon telling me to come home, and all too quickly I’m touching down, ending my flight. Retracting my Arcus from the line, my legs wobble for a second, reacquainting themselves with something solid beneath them before they are moving forward again, continuing to follow the man who’s been leading the way. He hardly spares me a glance as he nods to the zipline’s attendant and descends the stairs to the street. Tucking my Arcus back into baton shape, I drop it into the quiver strapped to my back and hurry to catch up.
