by C. M. Fenn
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I ask him.
He reaches up and removes his sunglasses and I’m suddenly speechless. His eyes are a startling iceberg blue. I’m figuring him to be around twenty-five or so. Tori was right—this guy is seriously good-looking, but I’m uncertain if it’s his physical appearance or the confident way he carries himself that makes me think so.
He examines me critically from head to toe and manages to do it without a hint of sexuality. I feel almost as if he’s measuring my worth. Even though a few seconds ago I wanted to tell him off and never see him again, I oddly find myself hoping he finds me acceptable.
“We’ve never met.” He shakes his head.
I stand there looking confused, waiting for an explanation. Just then Tori lays on her horn and shouts, “Come on, Addy! We’ll be late!”
I close my eyes and grit my teeth. Thank you, Tori, for telling this potential lunatic who I am. I open my eyes to find the stranger watching me with a crooked smirk on his face.
“You better go,” he says. He doesn’t get back in his truck but continues to look at me.
I want to stay. I want to ask him a million questions. Who are you? How do you know my name? Why are you following me and why does your voice sound so familiar? Instead, I awkwardly walk backwards a few steps before turning around to jog to Tori’s car. Once I’m in the passenger seat, I turn to look at him again. He’s on his cell phone.
“What was that all about? I thought you were going to tell him off, but then you just stood there like a dummy. What happened? Did he talk to you? Do you know him?” Tori fires questions off as we head back to school.
I stare out the window and try to understand what just happened. I murmur to myself, “Today has easily been the strangest day of my life.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tori asks in a not-so-nice tone.
I sigh. I know she’s still mad that the stranger wasn’t “checking her out,” but I don’t get why. She has a boyfriend anyway, so it’s not like she could have pursued him. If I don’t think of something to make her feel better, she’ll pout all day.
“He thought I looked like a friend of his he hadn’t seen in a while. That’s why he was staring. He was trying to decide if I was her or not. When I got close enough for him to see I wasn’t her, he apologized. That’s all.”
“Oh … well, then. That makes perfect sense now.” And like that she’s completely happy. Now that she thinks he didn’t actually choose me over her, all is right with the world. If anything, Tori’s always consistent. Even if she’s consistently shallow.
Back at school, it’s hard to focus on anything. I can’t stop thinking about the guy from lunch. I try not to, but when I’m not thinking about him, I’m thinking about my dream. What’s odd is that as I try to remember the first part, all the details are fuzzy. But from the point in my dream where I fall through the barrier into the street to the point when I wake up, everything is crystal clear.
I remember every tiny detail and marvel that I’m able to recall the conversation exactly. If I tried, I’m sure I could write down everything that was said word-for-word. I can still see Mel and Crank perfectly. I can hear Mel’s Aussie accent and feel her reassuring hand on my arm.
In fifth hour, Kevin makes my day by asking me what happened to my hands. I suddenly wish I had a much more exciting story than falling down in the street. I’m embarrassed when I tell him, but he looks really concerned and tells me he hopes I get better soon. This puts me on cloud nine and I actually forget about all the other stuff for a while. That is at least, until it’s time to go home.
As Tori and I head out to her car, I scan the parking lot for the black truck. I don’t see it anywhere. I study the rearview mirrors the whole way home but there’s no sign of it. I thank Tori and remember to tell her to have a good time at Jordan’s party. She’s still upset at him but I know she’ll get over it soon. She always forgives him for acting like a jerk.
When I get home and open my front door, the mouth-watering smell of pot roast immediately strikes me, and I know Mom’s making it for me. It’s my favorite comfort food, and knowing her, she thinks I need it after this morning. Jana’s on the couch watching a rerun of some reality show where strangers have to live together on an island and survive off nature. I join her and she tells me she wants to postpone our girls’ night out and instead have a girls’ night in.
She points to the coffee table where there are some chick flicks she must have rented earlier and a huge pile of assorted candy and junk food. I know she’d probably rather be shopping and that she changed her plans so I wouldn’t have to walk around a mall for hours feeling as crappy as I do. I feel a little guilty but mostly I’m thrilled. I’ve never enjoyed shopping.
I watch TV with Jana for about an hour until Mom tells me my bed sheets were unsalvageable and that she bought me a new set and washed them for me. I find them in the dryer and head back to my room to make my bed. Before I can finish, I hear the doorbell ring.
I wonder if maybe Jana invited one of her gal pals over to watch movies with us, but Mom hollers down the hall, “Addy, your friends are here to see you!”
My friends? Basically everyone I know should be over at Jordan’s party by now. As I make my way to the front door, I cross my fingers and hope it isn’t Tori trying one last attempt to get me to go. When I open the door, I’m completely surprised to come face-to-face with a girl I’ve never seen before.
She’s shorter than I am but looks about my age. She’s pretty. She’s thin and pale with deep emerald eyes. The most distinguishable thing about her, however, is her unnaturally bright red-orange hair. I try not to imagine her head on fire as she grins at me and says, “So you’re Adelaide! Wow! You’re bright. And adorable! Happy to meet you.” She holds out her hand and waits.
“Um … hi.” Unsure what to do, but not wanting to appear rude, I show her my bandaged hands so she understands why I can’t shake.
“Oh, of course! Sorry. Here.” She balls her hand up and gives me a fist bump. “I’m Ember! I’m pretty sure I’m your new best friend. I’m a great judge of character and from what I can see of you so far, I know we’ll get along great!”
The sound of someone clearing their throat a little ways behind Ember startles me. I look out and standing on the lawn with his hands in his pockets is none other than the burger-joint guy—Tori’s “Mr. Hottie.”
Ember turns in his direction and says, “I know! I’m getting to it. I’m only trying to be polite. So much rides on first impressions you know.” She turns back to me. “So Adelaide, you wanna come for a walk? We’ve got lots to talk about.”
Chapter 6
My curiosity is piqued. I should be concerned, maybe a little frightened, that there are strangers at my door who seem to know an awful lot about me. Either I have taken complete leave of my senses, or my instincts are telling me these two are no threat.
“I think I would like that very much. I’ve got a lot of questions,” I tell her.
“And we’ve got your answers.” She grins at me in a way that makes me feel like we’re old friends. I glance meaningfully behind her. She understands right away. “You don’t have to worry about Sam. He’s a great guy—one of the best. You’ll see.”
I have to take her at her word. “Give me a minute please,” I say to her. She nods her head and goes to stand by Sam. I find Mom in the kitchen, checking the pot roast in the slow cooker.
“Those are some nice-looking kids. I’ve never met them before, have I?” she asks me.
“No, Mom. You’ve never met them.” And neither have I, I think to myself. “Listen, do you mind if we go for a walk? I won’t go far.”
“Sure honey, just take it easy, okay? Remember Ronnie suggested you rest today, so don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t. Thanks, Mom.” I turn to leave.
“Oh hey! Dinner should be ready in about half an hour. Try not to be late. And your friends are more than welcome to join us. We have p
lenty.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
I find Ember and Sam on the lawn where I left them. Ember smiles warmly and asks, “Is there a shady place nearby we can sit and talk?”
I look up and down the street, thinking. The Morgans have some good shade trees on their property, and they won’t mind us hanging around.
“There’s some horse property right up the street there. They’ve got lots of trees.”
“Perfect!” Ember crows. “I LOVE horses!”
We head down the street. Ember walks next to me while Sam stays a few paces back. “Have you lived here long?” she asks me cheerfully.
“All my life.”
“I’m from Omaha. Not for long though! As soon as I graduate, I’m moving to L.A. I can’t wait! Are you a senior too?” she asks.
“Yeah, I graduate in two weeks.” My mind races with questions and I wonder when she’ll cut the small talk and explain what’s going on.
We get to the edge of the horse field and the section of fence that’s shaded by a big leafy tree. The wooden fence isn’t too high, so I carefully pull myself up to sit on it. Ember does the same and sits next to me. Sam leans on the side of the tree trunk facing us.
Ember looks me in the eyes. I get the same feeling I did when Sam was sizing me up in the parking lot at lunch. She smiles, so I must not be a total disappointment.
“You have pretty eyes,” she tells me. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. “They shine like your aura – which is very bright by the way. You have one of the brightest auras I’ve ever seen. It’s a pretty, sunny yellow. I’m getting major good vibes from you, Adelaide, and I’m excited to get to know you.”
What she’s saying is kind, I guess, but it’s only confusing me more. Auras? Vibes? Was she some kind of hippie into “mojo” and stuff like that?
She suddenly laughs. “I can tell from your face that I’m not helping things. All right then, first things first. What I’m about to tell you, Adelaide, is difficult to accept. But try to remember that we all have gone through this and that we are here for you. Don’t forget that.” She places her hand on the back of mine.
Before continuing, she looks at Sam, and he gives her a small nod. She takes a deep breath.
“Adelaide. Sam drove out here from Los Angeles to find you. And I flew all the way from Omaha to meet you and tell you the dream you had last night wasn’t a dream. You entered Chaos last night for the first time. When you fall back asleep tonight, you will find yourself in Chaos again, at Minor Calm.”
I stare at her blankly. Did I hear her right? In my head I go over everything she just said. Then I understand what’s going on and I’m suddenly angry.
“This isn’t funny,” I tell her. She immediately starts shaking her head.
“No, I’m not-”
“Seriously,” I cut her off before she can say more, “I don’t know who told you. It must be someone my mom told, but I really don’t find this amusing.” I slide off the fence, intending to go straight home, but I bump into Sam as he blocks my path. He puts his hands up in front of him in a “wait” gesture.
“Give us five minutes,” he says softly. “And in five minutes, if you still aren’t convinced, we’ll leave you alone.” He’s looking down into my face, but my attention is on his upraised hands. I inhale sharply at the sight of them. I start to shake and find my legs aren’t strong enough to support me. Sam reaches out to stabilize me before I collapse. I feel lightheaded and dizzy. This can’t be real.
He sets me on the ground gently and sits next to me, one arm still on my back for support.
Ember is there in a flash, sitting on my other side, looking concerned. “What is it? Are you all right?” she asks anxiously. I’m shaking my head back and forth, refusing to accept what I just saw.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it was a trick of light. I see Sam’s hand, the one that’s not supporting me, resting on his leg. I reach for it, take it in my own, and slowly turn it over. No, it wasn’t a trick of light. His palm is scarred.
I lightly run my fingers over it. His hands are warm and rough and nearly twice as big as mine. I can feel the scar tissue and I know it’s real. Resigned, I take off my bandages. It takes me a second but once they’re off, I hold my open hand next to Sam’s to compare. My injury is nearly identical to his. As I’m looking between our two hands, Ember places hers next to ours. She has the same scars.
“We keep the scars,” Ember explains quietly, “the ones we get from falling. It’s a personal choice. We can choose to have Doc heal the wounds with or without leaving scars. I guess it’s sort of a rite of passage, a badge of honor. It’s something we all have in common and we wear them proudly.”
I can’t deny what they’re telling me anymore. If my dream wasn’t a dream, and Chaos is real, then everything Mel and Crank said was real too. I was summoned to Chaos. Something, or someone, some grand unseen power, plucked me from this world and quite literally thrust me into a horrifying dimension where giant evil beasts roam free.
“Why?” I ask aloud.
“Because you are needed, Adelaide,” Sam says to me.
“Me?” I erupt with laughter but it sounds more hysterical than amused, and that frightens me so I abruptly stop.
“Yes, you,” Ember insists. “Everyone who is chosen to come to Chaos has a purpose there. We each have some unique, much-needed quality that we bring to the fight.”
“Fight? What fight are you talking about?” I’m starting to feel sick thinking about what she may say next.
“Before you can understand that, you first have to understand what Chaos is. Are you well enough for me to continue?”
I nod.
She takes a deep breath and continues. “Chaos is another realm of existence. Some would call it a parallel dimension. We aren’t really sure how many different realms exist, but we do know of three for sure. First, there is Earth realm, where we are right now. Some Realmwalkers call it ‘Top-side’ or ‘Earth-side.’ Then there’s the realm of Chaos.”
“Where I was last night.”
“That’s right. Chaos alone isn’t an evil place. It simply acts as a bridge-realm between here and the third realm I’m going to tell you about.”
“But if Chaos isn’t an evil place, why are there Calms to protect you? And what are Calms exactly?” I interrupt.
“Good question. Mel and Crank mentioned Calms to you, right?” she inquires.
“Yeah. Mel said we were in Minor Calm and that we were safe from that creature there.”
“That’s right.” She nods. “A Calm is a space created by the Realmwalkers within Chaos. It’s easiest to think of it as a room within a room. There are currently two Calms in Chaos. Major Calm is our main base. It’s basically our headquarters.
“Minor Calm is more like a way-station for Realmwalkers who need a safe place in a hurry and are too far from Major Calm. The Calms are the only places in Chaos that we can be safe all the time with no fear of Shades. There’s only one entrance into a Calm, and it’s protected by wardings.”
“Do you mean, like, magic spells and stuff?”
She smiles. “Not exactly. What we do in Chaos can easily look like magic to an outsider, but it’s really not. You’ll learn all about that soon.” She looks at Sam. “Am I doing this right?”
He nods approvingly. “You’re doing well. Now tell her about the third realm and the reason the Realmwalkers are needed.”
“Right. The third realm that we know of is referred to as the Nether Realm. This is the realm of the Shades. It’s where they come from. All of us Realmwalkers have our own ideas and theories of what it actually is. Some say it’s a prison for damned souls, some think it’s a negative version of our Earth Realm, and some say it’s Hell. Just like some people from Earth Realm are able to enter Chaos, so can some of the Shades from the Nether Realm.”
I stop her again. “So that creature that tried to kill me, that was a shade from the Nether Realm?”
Sam answers my question. “Yes. The shade that attacked you last night is what we call a Lesser Shade.”
“There’s more than one kind?”
“Yes,” he answers again. “There are two kinds that we know of. The Lesser Shades, like the one you came across, and the Greater Shades.”
Despite the heat, I can’t stop the shiver that runs down my spine. The fact that there are shades referred to as “Greater” seems to suggest that they are somehow more dangerous than the one I saw. How can there be anything in existence more dangerous than that horrible beast?
Ember scoots closer to me and leans into my side. It’s comforting feeling her there as she continues to explain.
“You’ll learn all about Shades in the nights to come. For now, there is only one thing you need to know about them. Some of them have the ability to tear holes in the fabric of Chaos. Through those holes, they are able to enter THIS realm. Once a tear has been made, it’s then possible for entire hordes of Shades to pass through. Once they are here, they wreak havoc, causing death and destruction everywhere they go.”
“Those things come here? Why haven’t I heard of them before? Why doesn’t everyone know about them?”
“They can only be seen by Realmwalkers, those who have been touched by Chaos.” She waits for me to process this. “Okay, so for example, you know Hurricane Ilsa? The one that recently tore up the East Coast?”
I nod my head. “Are you saying Shades caused that? Wasn’t that a natural disaster?”
“The Shades are creatures of pure evil. They don’t belong over here. The Lesser Shades’ presence has a terrible effect on this realm. They tend to bring out the ugliest and most hateful traits in people. They stir up emotions and adrenaline, causing mass riots, or if their numbers are large enough, even wars. They can focus their energy on the elements causing fires, storms, tornados, and earthquakes.”
Sam explains further, “There was a tear in Chaos last week, and we weren’t able to close it fast enough. An entire herd of Lesser Shades escaped through before we could seal it. Hurricane Ilsa is an example of what these things can do when they get over here.”
