by Mara Amberly
Their quiet conversation had grown louder and more passionate, though they spoke in whispers. They fell silent when their food was brought out, then continued once the waiter had left.
“No, you can’t tell him,” Kailen insisted. “Niall. He will roast me alive if he finds out I told you what he shared in confidence. He was just so excited, you know? But if it gets out, it could cause him a lot of trouble, and me too.”
Pandora raised her hand reassuringly and took his. “I’ll just have to find another person to speak to. If anyone else talks about this then the rumour is bound to spread through Terania Settlement like wildfire, just like it did before.”
Kailen looked unconvinced, but he knew that Pandora would do the right thing by him. He knew how much the world outside meant to her as well. She’d always been free-spirited but perhaps it went deeper than that; it was almost certainly connected with her parents. They’d lived out there, though it didn’t seem like much of a life compared to one in the settlement, which was undoubtedly more comfortable and safe.
He wondered why someone would choose a risky, hard life unnecessarily. Maybe it was about love or it might’ve been about freedom. He understood love, and he found himself admiring Pandora now, thinking of all the ways he loved her. He didn’t like the thought she might put herself in danger out there, when she could be safe here with him, but he knew how much she wanted to explore beyond the dome. She was a scientist, even though she didn’t hold the council rank, and she had this intense curiousity that could never be sated until answers were found. It was just one thing he admired about her.
Pandora leaned in close to him and whispered, “There are Scientists from another place visiting the settlement and that’s all I can say. They’ve made me promise not to talk about it.”
Kailen grinned, because he liked learning more and it meant big things were happening. He didn’t like that Pandora was keeping secrets from him, especially when he’d just told her his own, but he was grateful she’d told him anything. Maybe she would tell him more with some encouragement. “The world’s changing. Everything is,” he said. “I can feel it. Can you?”
Pandora’s smile said it all. “Yes. I wonder if it has anything to do with the dreams?”
Kailen was confused by the mention of them. “What dreams?”
She smiled apologetically. “I’ve been having vivid dreams about my grandmother, mostly.” But was she my grandmother – both in actuality and in the dream?
“That’s interesting. Maybe it means something... or maybe they’re just dreams.” Kailen didn’t have an answer for her, only more questions. “What types of dreams?”
She shrugged, not wanting to get too much into the personal details of them. “Nightmares, somewhat... but uh, it doesn’t matter. It was like she was passing a birth-right to me.”
Kailen smiled. “In a way she has. She’s passed on and well, there’s you here now, Pandora. It’s like your family have passed the torch to you.”
She nodded at that, knowing he was right. My mother brought me to the settlement as she was dying. I wonder if she might’ve lied... about being my mother. As her daughter, I was a grandchild of a revered council member, but if I wasn’t truly her child, I might just have been the daughter of an outsider. Short of testing my mother’s DNA or signs of her having given birth before she was cremated, they had no way of knowing. She could’ve lied... and if she did, that means my real mother might still be alive. I might still have family who are outsiders, and Lucy – my sister in my dream – might actually be real.
***
The night passed quickly and enjoyably after that. Kailen occasionally prodded Pandora for information, but she wouldn’t tell him about the crates or the items they contained. Pandora knew she wasn’t much of a liar, and if Helene asked her again later, she’d know if Pandora broke her promise. It was easier not to talk about it. It didn’t really change anything; it just would’ve confirmed even more to Kailen that he might be on to something.
There’s so much we’ve believed our whole lives that might not be true. Everything feels strange and different now that the world might not be the way we thought it was.
Walking through the market, she enjoyed browsing the items for sale. They weren’t all that different to the items normally sold; she just felt like she had a greater sense of wonder and appreciation for them now than she usually did. Kailen perused the books, many hand-written by members of the settlement, while Pandora discovered a treasure trove of jewellery. There were pendants made of gold, silver, stone and shaped clay on matching chains. Many of these didn’t look newly-made, but old. Some had been sold many times or passed down from one settler to the next over generations. As a result, some of these were quite expensive, but ones with considerable wear or crafted out of cheaper materials cost less.
One seller was an older woman with short, curly blonde hair and grey eyes. While Pandora didn’t know her well, she knew her name was Lydia.
“Hello.” Pandora greeted her with a smile. “These are beautiful. What can you tell me about them?” she asked, indicating the necklaces.
“It’s good to see you, Pandora. That’s one of my trade secrets, but if you see the sign, you might find the answer.” She indicated a paper sign pinned to the sheet behind her market table. It said ‘items bought and sold’.
Pandora grinned. “Oh, of course.” A lot of items sold were second hand, though there were people who made them too.
“It’s alright love,” she said with a smile. “Can I help you with something in particular?”
The necklaces hung from a curved metal stand, side by side. Pandora lifted up one that caught her eye. It was a silver locket shaped like a small box and it hung on a long silver chain. She noticed the locket was engraved on the front with an eight-rayed star. It had a tiny white stone at its centre, but she wasn’t sure what it was. The necklace looked and felt old, but Pandora found it beautiful, and she had a feeling like she’d seen it or one very much like it somewhere before.
“How much is this one?” she asked. She’d glanced briefly at the other necklaces, but they weren’t as nice and didn’t hold the same allure.
“Well,” Lydia said, opening the clasp and lifting it off the stand. “Let me have a look. You should know I couldn’t get the locket open. I didn’t want to force it, but even using a bit of effort, it was firmly stuck. It might still have photographs inside.”
Pandora was surprised by that possibility. It made her wonder how old it might be.
“It’s in excellent condition and I can tell it’s been well cared for. The stone is a white crystal,” Lydia explained. They were rarely found now within the dome’s soil. “It’s a beautiful necklace.”
Kailen slipped back in beside Pandora. “So what have you found here?”
Pandora definitely had a sense that she’d seen the necklace before. It wasn’t just a nice piece of jewellery; it almost gave her a sense of deja vu. “A locket on a chain. It has a star on the front with a white crystal at the centre.” She glanced back at Lydia. “How much is it?” She turned the locket over in her fingertips and it seemed almost to give her a shock.
“Oh, did you cut yourself?” Lydia asked worriedly.
“No, it’s nothing,” Pandora said with a shake of her head. She examined her fingers but they were fine.
“I’m glad to hear it. The necklace is twenty credits.”
It was a lot of money for a piece of jewellery, especially a silver necklace. Lydia must have read Pandora’s expression of disappointment and realised she might lose a sale. “But for you, I’ll make it fifteen – in light of the locket not opening.”
Pandora considered it, but she’d already made up her mind. While it was still a high price for the necklace, she could afford it and she wanted it.
“If you like, I could get it for you,” Kailen offered with a loving smile.
Pandora shook her head softly, causing her curls to fall around her shoulders. “That’s so incredib
le of you, but I think I should buy this one for myself.” It seemed a strange thing to say, but it’s what her instincts told her she should do.
“How about I get you a ring then to go with it?” he asked. “Not a betrothal ring – a normal ring, but one day I’d like to get you the other kind.”
Pandora smiled at him. “How could I possibly say no to that? I would love it,” she said.
In addition to the necklace, she chose a matching silver ring with clear and blue stones that ran along its v-shape.
“It’s a wishbone,” Lydia explained, “and it should match your star of hope.”
Pandora was surprised. “Is that what it means? The star on the locket?”
Lydia nodded. “Yes, I think so.”
It seemed to bode well for the future and Pandora was happy that she had new and lovely pieces of jewellery to wear, including a ring given to her by her love.
“Would you like one too? A ring?” she asked Kailen.
He politely declined but kissed her forehead. “Another day, Dora. We should head back. I’ve got to be in work at 6 a.m.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nessa's Home Dimension;
Georgia, United States – 10:32 a.m.
Nessa waited downstairs until Katy retreated to her home office to begin her day’s work. It was at the front of the house and overlooked the driveway, so Nessa knew it should give them privacy in the back garden to open another portal. Nessa collected her bag and keys from her room, as well as her waist belt that she used to carry her possessions, and returned to James. Once outside, she locked the door behind her and walked with him through the garden. It smelled fresh and the sun was pleasantly warm, though she felt a sense of mounting pressure because she wanted to open the portal to James’s home dimension successfully. She wasn’t sure she could do it, but there was little question she could open a portal somewhere. The scent of flowers and the breeze on her skin summoned a tingling sensation that hinted at connections to possible worlds just waiting to be explored.
“So how does it work? This power you have?” James was careful to keep his voice down, but there was little chance of being overheard.
“I don’t know where it comes from,” she said, “but it’s not hard to use at all. When I smell something – not every time or I’d always be feeling it – but when there are certain smells that are distinct or evoke strong feelings, sometimes they trigger memories or a feeling of a connection. Smells like flowers in the spring, the scent of a new book, or the perfume your mother might wear?” Her expression turned more serious and apologetic, as she wondered if she’d taken him away from his mother too.
James merely nodded. “I think I know what you mean.”
“Sometimes I feel a tingle and that’s when I know it’s possible to make a connection. That isn’t what does it though – what causes it to happen. I get this feeling like pressure, in here.” She touched her fingers to her temple, “and in here,” she indicated her heart. “In fact, it’s hard to really say where it is except that it’s inside me, and when that feeling comes, it becomes so incredibly easy to open a portal to another realm. It would be the easiest thing to let it happen and the portal form, but most of the time, I refuse and won’t let it happen.”
James shook his head, as if he disapproved of its existence at all. “Forgive me for saying so, but that’s terrifying. Does it ever happen when you sleep? What if you don’t have full control while you’re dreaming?”
Nessa was a bit taken aback by his response. “No, and as terrifying as it may be, I still consider it a gift. It’s not an ability that I use every day.” In a way, it felt to Nessa like it was one of the few things that made her unique. She didn’t want to be considered a danger to herself and others, or something bad. She was just a person like anyone else, albeit one with a very cool ability.
James wasn’t going to apologise for his point of view, so he let it be what it was. “What will you do now? You used a flower to open the portal...”
Nessa murmured, “Yes.” She walked over to a branch of flowers that grew near the back door of the house, and leaned in to breathe their scent. It was sweetly fragrant and reminded her of the flower she’d picked the day before.
“It was one of these, but I wonder–” Nessa approached the gate where she’d cast the portal the day before. She realised now that it was a poor place to cast it. Anyone could’ve used the gate and ended up in another world, though she and Katy seldom went out there. She would take greater care in future but today she needed to try and replicate her choices from the day before.
Nessa leaned over and carefully examined the ground. “James, will you help me look? See if you can find yesterday’s flower. I crumpled it up to close the portal, and I dropped it when I pulled you through.”
James joined her, looking over the grass, until he picked up the broken flower.
“Could this be the one?” he asked, holding it out to her.
Nessa took the flower from him and breathed in its scent. It carried little aroma now, as its petals were torn, wilted and turning brown. She carried it over to the bush and tried to pinpoint where she’d picked it from. It only took her a moment to find. Two other flowers grew beside where it had. She smelled them and knew both would trigger her ability.
“I think these two flowers might be your best bet, but one is a bit older than the one I picked, and the other is smaller and younger. I think it would be a good idea to try the older one first and let the other one grow if it doesn’t work. It might be more successful when it’s the right age.”
James frowned, but he nodded. “It makes sense. I guess you can’t use the one off the ground then?” he asked.
“Sorry, but I can’t,” she said. “When I want to close a portal, I crush up the flower or break the item I used to open it. It breaks the connection somehow. I don’t know exactly how it works because if it worked on scent alone, a flower would smell at least as strong immediately after it was crushed.”
James understood, or rather, he was trying to be as understanding as he could be. “On my world the priests call that release of perfume a sign of forgiveness. The flower knows something terrible was done to it, but it forgives the wrongdoer.”
As if I didn’t already feel guilty enough. “That’s poetic,” she said, suppressing a slight wince. “I’m going to pick the older flower then.”
James was as ready as he was going to get. He was nervous, but it was because this might be only one of two chances to reach his family and world again. It might even turn out to be his only chance, if the other flower died on the plant. He didn’t like trusting these possibilities to the whims of nature. “I’m ready to proceed.”
Nessa smiled and broke off the older flower. She made sure the stem was around the same length as the flower’s she’d picked the day before. “Let’s go then.” She returned to the garden gate, as did James. It was the same place she’d cast the portal the day before. “Last time I was here,” she said, “the flower I chose reminded me of Derin Valley in the summertime.” She breathed in the scent of this flower and felt her senses tingle more strongly.
“This one reminds me of the Derin Valley too –perhaps more autumn than summer, but definitely close to the same time of year. I remember visiting it when I was young.”
Nessa tried to block out all distractions and thoughts about the world around her. The tingle was there, and she tried to envision the world she wanted to visit in exactly the same way she had the day before. She couldn’t tell if it was James’s world or not, but the energy felt like its destination was clear and set. It was like a phone call – she had to dial correctly to reach the right number. Her instinct was that the destination wasn’t just decided by the scent, but by the way it made her feel, so that’s what was important. She remembered the day before in detail – how relaxed she was; the warmth of the sun and the sweet aroma of the flowers. She was sure she sensed a slight change in the flow of energy. Somehow she knew it would lead to a diffe
rent world than it would’ve before. She couldn’t tell if it was the right one – if either one was, but there was only one way to find out.
Without saying a word, Nessa opened her eyes and approached the gate. She breathed in the flower’s scent and let the portal form. The air shimmered like a heat haze, and then began to swirl, almost like a transparent, diaphanous whirlpool.
“This is an incredible and frightening power you have.” James spoke seriously, but Nessa could see the hope in his eyes.
She nodded, but appreciated the amazing opportunities it gave her.
“I can see hints of green through it and trees. Time to go,” she said to him, her voice quiet but hopeful too. She always felt most alive when she indulged her power and let it shine. Exploring worlds was her destiny – she knew that beyond any doubt or apprehension. There was always danger, and yet she usually trusted that things would work out as they should. Perhaps that’s why she’d been so careless – she felt less hesitation in taking chances herself, but hadn’t considered how deeply they could impact another person.
Nessa glanced back over her shoulder at James for the merest moment before she walked through the portal. Only a swirl of blue from her dress was visible from the other side.
James’s experience with the last portal was disturbing to say the least, but he wanted to get home so much that it wouldn’t hold him back. Fear gripped his heart but he forced himself to step through it, and soon found himself in a copse of trees. Nessa was up ahead, and he saw no threats or signs of danger. There was also no sign of Katy’s house, except for the merest hints of the world he’d just come from through the portal. There were many trees around them.
“This can’t be right!” he said, grief-stricken. “You came out in the valley last time!” The woods looked so indistinct that they could’ve been on any world.
“I don’t know, James. This could be another place on your world. The placement of the portals isn’t random, but I was thinking of the valley, not a forest. I can’t fully control where a portal opens.” She was still holding the flower. Nessa inhaled the scent of the bloom and unzipped the small bag around her waist, as she always did. She slipped the flower inside and zipped it up again. The shell of the bag should keep it safe.
