by Mara Amberly
James winced. “No, I don’t want to make Nessa uncomfortable.”
It proved informative to Katy, in a way. “I understand,” she said simply.
Nessa wasn’t sure she did, but to her mind it wasn’t truly necessary that she should know all the details.
“You look like a man who can identify right from wrong–” Katy said.
James nodded in agreement. He knew better than many; at least he had in his own world. “That I am.”
Katy smiled. “I’m glad we’re clear. You can stay over and Nessa can show you around.”
James acknowledged Katy’s statement with a nod. “Thank you. You’re a kind woman.”
Nessa got up from the table and waited for James to do the same. “I’ll show you to one of the spare rooms.” As she led the way, he followed her, looking around the house with interest.
He didn’t appear overly comfortable but he seemed a bit more at ease once they were alone.
“The main bathroom’s in here,” she said to him, indicating the door near the top of the stairs. “Do you have indoor plumbing on your world?” she asked quietly. “I didn’t see any sign of it but I was in the dungeon. Do you have toilets and showers?”
James smiled at the absurdity of the question. “We have indoor baths and outdoor showers... and toilets.”
Nessa nodded, smiling back. “Alright, this is a crash course on how to use a toilet.”
James didn’t know what a crash course was, but he seemed to get the idea of what Nessa was saying.
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” he said.
“Oh, it’s no bother to explain,” she said with a grin. “You sit on the toilet when you need to use it and, oh yeah, you’re a man so if you need to pee then you stand up. If wiping is required you use the paper, but not more than about fifteen squares otherwise it can block the plumbing. Then you get up and press the button, and it flushes away. You might want to close the lid down first before you flush it. Katy gets irritable if I don’t.”
James was laughing now. “I had most of that figured out.”
Nessa rolled her eyes. “Well, on your world–” she started.
“You were in a dungeon. What did you expect?” he asked, grinning.
“But you said it was outdoor,” she replied with a smile.
James nodded. “The plumbing is outdoor but otherwise much the same. The shower looks more complicated but not by much.”
Nessa pulled back the curtain. It had a combination bath and shower. “Should I explain?”
“Oh yeah, I’m loving this now,” he said.
“You have a hot tap and a cold tap, here and here,” she said, indicating them. “For a bath, first you put in the plug and turn on the taps. Adjust it until it’s the right temperature and there’s enough water, and then you turn it off. Pull out the plug to let the water out. It’s that simple. If you’re using the shower, do not put the plug in because that won’t end well.”
James found her lesson hilarious. “I have common sense; you don’t need to worry. I’m certain your bathroom will survive me. I do have one question for you. What’s in the bottles?”
“There’s shower gel, which you use like regular soap, and shampoo and conditioner for your hair. You put the shampoo on then rinse it right off. You could leave a bit of conditioner on for a while too, and then rinse it off.”
He smiled at her explanation, wondering when she was going to try and bullshit him. “So this is how the other half lives?”
Nessa wasn’t sure what to say to that. “I suppose. My family isn’t poor but most people buy this stuff, just different brands. Anyway, the towels are in the cupboard over there for drying off. Is that a clear enough explanation?”
“I think I understand now,” he said. “If not, I’ll flood your bathroom or call you. Maybe both.”
She grinned. “That’s real cute.”
They stepped back out into the hallway, but there was still no sign of Katy.
It’s probably for the best, otherwise that would’ve been a fun conversation to explain if she overheard us.
Nessa opened a spare bedroom door and turned on the light.
James walked in gingerly and looked around. It was a basic room, but it had a fresh, comfortably-made single bed, and its window overlooked the garden below. The curtains were open, but Nessa closed them now that the hour was late.
“Is it okay?” she asked him.
“This is a home that a rich person would live in on our world. It’s not a palace but those who are poor don’t have electricity, for example. My house has it because I’ve worked hard. I didn’t realise you were a person of means when you turned up in Derin.”
Nessa wasn’t sure she was. “I’m my aunt’s guest here. It’s her house, not mine. It sounds as if it’s much cheaper and easier to have electricity here.” She wasn’t sure what difference that would make to his viewpoint, if any.
“You and Katy are family, though,” he said.
Nessa nodded. “Yes, she’s one of the last members of my family. She lets me stay here because I help her and I’m pleasant to have around, I suppose.”
James smiled. “Those are good reasons. I’m going to rest now, I think. I’m tired and I need some time alone to come to terms with what’s happened. Where will you be if I want to talk to you? And would it be possible to get a meal to eat?”
“I’ll be in the room across the hall. Katy probably won’t eat again until morning but I could bring you up something now to eat. Katy usually keeps food on hand in the fridge.”
James seemed to know what that was. “Please.”
Nessa wondered if James would want to have a look for himself, but he seemed to want to be alone much more. “I’ll be a couple of minutes.”
Nessa left the room and made her way back downstairs. As she rounded the corner of the kitchen, Katy walked past her, a book in hand. Nessa could tell from the picture on the cover that it was a romance novel. Katy especially enjoyed those.
“I’m going to get James something to eat. I haven’t eaten all day either,” Nessa said.
“Alright, you have a good night.”
As Katy headed upstairs, Nessa opened the fridge and found a plate of food that had probably been meant for her. Sliced meat, salad, cheese and cold cooked potatoes were covered in plastic wrap. Nessa lifted it out and retrieved a packet of cookies from the cupboard. She made herself a ham sandwich and brought up a bottle of lemonade and two glasses. She had no idea if James had ever tried lemonade before.
Nessa took several bites out of her sandwich before she reached James’ room. She knocked twice before he called her in.
He sat up as she carried in the plates, glasses, bottle and food, and set them down on a chest of drawers.
She hadn’t brought utensils of any kind, but she assumed he’d be fine with it as it was.
“This is for you,” she said, indicating the largest plate. “It has salad and meat, and all sorts of things. I brought some lemonade as well, and cookies.”
He smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Nessa. That’s just what I need.”
She gave him a smile, but knew he wished to be alone.
“I’ll just pour these.”
Nessa set out the glasses, pouring a glass of lemonade for James and another for herself. She left the bottle with him in his room, and took her own glass, a couple of cookies and the remains of her sandwich with her.
“You sleep well,” she said gently as she closed the door behind her, and then returned to her own room. She needed a shower and after that, sleep.
CHAPTER TEN
Pandora's Home Dimension;
Terania Settlement, Alverron – 5:42 p.m.
Pandora visited the storage room six times during the course of her workday, but each time there were other people working in the lab who could see her through the glass. She lingered only as long as her work entailed, putting her plant samples into cooled storage. While she had no hope of opening the storage crates with
others nearby, she had a good look at them. They weren’t like most other crates used; even the red level crates that could be seen in the lab from time to time. They were each sealed and had an electronic access panel fitted. There was no way she could open them easily without the code combination.
It made more sense to speak with Helene later. She had the clearance to open the crates if she wanted to, or at least, she should. In the meantime, Pandora busied herself with her experiments, slowly but surely working her way through the list of plant samples taken from the terraformed zones. It was wonderful to see the plants outside had survived and flourished, because it meant the terraforming was stable for the moment. There was no certainty it would hold in the long-term, but for the moment things were looking up.
Pandora hung back until there was only Helene, herself and another of the Scientists in the lab; Jacob Evanston. She’d already returned all of her plants to the storage room by that point, despite slowing her progress as much as possible. When he left, Pandora set aside her empty slides and approached Helene.
Helene was sorting through records on a data pad when she noticed Pandora’s curiousity. “I know that look. What is it Pandora?”
She could’ve tried to subtly raise the topic but Pandora didn’t have the patience for that. She wanted to know what was going on. “What was that about, this morning? Those men who wheeled in the crates were supposedly Scientists but I’ve never seen them before.”
Helene obviously saw the question coming. “They were Scientists and they wouldn’t have wheeled in that noisy trolley if they were trying to hide their presence here.”
That made sense to Pandora. “They were hiding or protecting the contents of those boxes though,” she said. “Otherwise, why would they have digital access panels on them?”
Helene’s relaxed mood grew more cautious and Pandora wondered if she’d pried a little too much.
“I didn’t touch them,” she said, explaining. “I was using the storage room and I noticed it. The Scientists’ presence here is a bit of a puzzle.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised then,” Helene admitted. “It was bound to raise questions and you’re a perceptive, intelligent person. I should’ve known it wouldn’t glide under the radar. Come with me.” Helene’s tone was firmer than Pandora was used to hearing, as if her friend was ‘all business’ all of a sudden.
“Sure,” Pandora said. She followed Helene, not quite sure if the Scientist was going to tell her what was going on or lecture her for prying into things that weren’t her business. It was then that Pandora’s dream from the night before came to mind about not opening a box until such a time as it becomes necessary. It was a different kind of box in the dream, and this didn’t feel like the same thing at all, so it was probably fine.
Helene opened the storage room door and led Pandora over to the nearest of the crates. There were six of them on the trolley, left precisely as they were when they were wheeled in. Helene keyed a code into the nearest of them, which Pandora couldn’t see from where she stood. The locking mechanism quickly snapped open, and Helene folded out the top of the box.
Pandora hadn’t noticed anyone examining the contents of the boxes in the lab’s storage room, but she’d also left the lab for lunch and breaks. The boxes might’ve been checked when most people were out.
Helene stepped back so Pandora could take a good look in the box.
Pandora wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but inside there were several pieces of technology she didn’t immediately recognise. One was like a data pad, only thicker but less wide, and its screen was smaller. It had a row of buttons at the bottom marked with unfamiliar symbols. “That’s strange,” she murmured. It wasn’t because the technology looked that different, but because standardized pieces of technology were produced for the entire settlement. You seldom, if ever, saw something this different.
“I agree, it’s odd,” Helene said. She withheld any further explanation of what she thought this might mean.
Another item looked like a band designed to be worn on the wrist. It had a larger, black metallic section.
“I’ve seen one of these before,” Pandora said, indicating the device with the band. “It’s a wrist watch. I’ve read about them and seen examples in the library. People used them to tell the time and perform other functions.”
Helene nodded. “That’s close to my assessment as well. What about the third one?”
Pandora leaned in closer. Her hand rested next to the object on the side of the box. When her hand moved, Helene caught it before she could touch the object. “Be careful. It might not be safe.”
“It’s alright. I’ll be careful,” Pandora promised. Her eyes widened as she realised what the object might be. It seemed completely out of place in a city like this one. “It’s a compass, isn’t it?”
Helene was surprised by the suggestion. “What makes you say that?” she asked, taking a closer look for herself.
“It’s circular, which is a regular feature of archaic compasses. It has directions on it – note the letters – and several pointers. I don’t see what else it could be.”
“Amazing!” Helene exclaimed. “I’m certain you’re right, but a traditional compass wouldn’t have worked after the cataclysm,” she explained. “The planet’s magnetic field was disrupted so it couldn’t effectively identify the correct directions.”
Pandora found this fascinating. While she’d read about compasses, she hadn’t read about changes to the magnetic field of Terania Prime. She wondered what role this played in the damage to the planet. “It must be thousands of years old or manufactured in one of the other settlements, perhaps. It doesn’t look all that old. I wonder if the planet might’ve undergone changes that we don’t yet know about. If the compass works, then perhaps it’s a sign our planet is healing from the cataclysm. Do you think that’s possible?”
Helene looked unsure but excited at the possibility. “I don’t know but it wouldn’t be hard to check if compasses are working correctly again. It’s something we can look into and it might prove useful for the terraforming teams. Right now they’re reliant on the waystation grid for their coordinates.”
Pandora shared her excitement. “Perhaps you could find an expert in antiquities to determine the age of the compass. There are those who collect old items like that. John Essinger, the mathematician on the council, collects all sorts of things.”
Helene knew him and he was one of the council members to bestow her rank as Scientist.
“You’ve been very helpful, Pandora. Thank you.”
Pandora smiled, “You’re welcome. What about the other boxes?”
Helene looked over at them. “Let’s leave them for the moment. I hope that helped satisfy some of your curiousity. Please don’t mention this to anyone. There are those who would strongly disagree with my showing you these.”
Pandora gave Helene a reassuring smile, but her friend wasn’t settling for that.
“Promise, Pandora!” Helene stated in a chiding tone.
While Pandora tried to give her the impression she’d never have told anyone, she knew that wasn’t true. She’d have told Kailen in a heartbeat.
“I promise. Geez, make me spell it out, why don’t you?”
Helene laughed, leaving Pandora to muse on what might be in the other boxes. Secrets, no doubt.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nessa's Home Dimension;
Georgia, United States – 2:05 a.m.
James lay on his side in bed with the blankets draped over him. He stared across the room – not paying attention to any visible details in particular now that the light was out. His thoughts were turned inward anyway, dwelling on so much and feeling unsure about what he could do. For once his future didn’t feel like it was in his own hands. This room wasn’t home. It felt wrong and smelled different to the home he shared at times with his son, Evan. His ex-wife, Lauren, had moved out some time ago, and his son sometimes stayed with her and other times with him
, but he felt like something was missing because he couldn’t wish his son goodnight.
I would be dead now if Nessa hadn’t pulled me the rest of the way through that portal. I could feel it coming. Sure, I could deny it because I didn’t know what was going on, but I could tell I was in trouble. Evan wouldn’t have a father and soon, if Lauren’s health worsens, he might not have a mother either. I can blame Nessa all I want but it won’t help. I need to get back and make sure Evan has what he needs – someone to look after him if things go wrong. Maybe Lauren will sort that out. She always thinks ahead.
He wondered what would’ve happened if Nessa pushed him back the way he’d come, rather than pulling him through, but James figured she must’ve had a reason for the decision. Maybe she knew the way was blocked or maybe she liked him – he didn’t know. It had better not be that. The thought vaguely amused him, but he knew her actions weren’t selfish. Nessa was soft and beautiful, and under different circumstances he easily would’ve welcomed her company – and more – but this wasn’t just any day or place, and she wasn’t any woman. She’d stranded him here and he needed her to get him home. He wouldn’t have admitted it to himself but James didn’t want to give her reasons, even unconscious ones, about why he shouldn’t go home.
If he had to make a new life in this world, then he would. His father had been an expert woodsman and had trained him to live in the forests of Loretta. If need be, he could live off the land. He’d seen enough of the view beyond Katy’s garden to know there were woodlands nearby. If he could stay here, then that would be preferable, but he felt vaguely uncomfortable accepting Katy’s hospitality when he could offer little in return. He didn’t like his honesty or motives being doubted, and while Katy didn’t know him well yet and he could completely understand her position, it set him ill at ease. At least here he could protect Nessa from danger. It seemed there were fewer dangers in this world – perhaps, but she was his key to returning home. Perhaps as her bodyguard, he could justify the food and board. He remembered that she’d told him she was a guest here too, but he could discuss the idea with her in the morning. It wasn’t much, but it was a beginning.
