by M. L. Greye
* * * * * *
The rain had decreased to a light drizzle, so Will hadn’t bothered to pull the hood of his sweatshirt on. He was between the trees now, his shoes moving over the rich, soft undergrowth almost noiselessly. He had one earbud in, listening to the music from his iPod. It was practically deafening, but that was the way Will liked it. It forced him to think about the music, and only the music. When the music played, it was the closest Will ever came to not feeling the pain.
Will glanced up through a space in the trees’ branches. The thick gray clouds reminded Will of Trenton’s eyes when he was deep in thought. Will wondered if his own eyes ever grew stormy. He frowned and lowered his gaze, noting a log on the ground ahead of him. Will easily climbed over it, but instead of continuing forward, he decided to stop. He lowered himself onto the ground, not caring that it was wet, and leaned back against the log, his back towards the way he had just come.
There was silence for a brief moment as the songs switched. When the new song began, Will tipped his head back against the log and shut his eyes. A few raindrops hit his face, but Will ignored them. He felt numb. There was no sorrow, joy, grief…only an insusceptible cold. The cold was what pained him. His emotions had deserted him, leaving him empty inside.
It had been an accident. A hydroplaning car had hit his family’s SUV, sending them out of control off the freeway. His parents, two younger sisters, and younger brother were all gone. In one moment, Will had lost the five people he cared for most. Will hadn’t witnessed it, but he might as well have. In his mind’s eye he could see the accident perfectly, the images running over and over inside his head. Will let out a short groan and shook his head to clear it. But once again he couldn’t rid his mind of their faces, the sudden horror in their eyes. Sleep was no different than being awake. They were there as well. Night and day, it was all the same for him. But what ate at him the most was that they had been put into harm’s way because of him.
He had been returning home for the weekend, a month before his finals. His family, in their excitement to see him, had all decided to pick him up from LAX, about an hour and a half drive north of their home. Luckily for Will, the rain hadn’t been as bad in Los Angeles as it had down south, so Will’s plane had landed with just a slight delay. When he arrived though, there was no one waiting. He’d called both his parents’ cell phones, but there had been no answer. His sisters hadn’t picked up theirs either, and his house phone had rung and rung. So, finally he called a neighbor, a close friend to his family. By this time, he had been on the ground for over an hour. He was beginning to get concerned. The neighbor had picked up after only one ring. She’d been crying.
“Oh Will,” she said, sobbing.
“What’s wrong, Mae?”
She didn’t answer him because of her weeping. Will gripped the phone tighter, shoving it as close to his ear as possible. “Mae! What’s wrong? Where’s Kevin?” Kevin was her husband. Her emotions made Will wonder if something had happened to him.
“He’s on his way to get you, Will. It’ll be alright.”
At her words, Will’s heart sank, while his stomach suddenly became ill. Somehow he managed to ask, “Why is Kevin picking me up?”
Her answer was another sob. “There’s been an accident, Will.”
“What happened?” Will heard himself choke out.
“We don’t know yet. But, Will,” she paused and Will knew that someone had died. Tears broke free down his face without him acknowledging them. Then, Mae said the words, “They’re dead, Will. The medics tried to save Ariel, but lost her in the ambulance.” Mae’s voice broke. “I’m sorry, Will. I’m so sorry.”
Will hadn’t heard the rest of her words. He’d dropped the hand holding his cell. About forty minutes later, he’d still not moved from the same bench beside his one piece of luggage. By then, his tears had dried and his eyes had grown distant. He got a call from Kevin, asking him where he was. A few minutes later Kevin picked him up. On the drive back to their neighborhood, Kevin asked Will if he’d like to spend the night at his house. Will had answered no. Kevin had shed a few tears during the drive, but for the most part stayed silent. Will remembered entering his own house, thanking Kevin, and then heading upstairs to his parents’ room.
Will didn’t know how long he just sat at the edge of their bed, staring off at the wall. But sometime during the night he must have crawled beneath the covers because the next morning he woke in between the blankets. It was there, when he saw each of their faces in his head that he cried for the last time. Around two p.m., he got out of bed, showered, and went over to Kevin and Mae’s, asking them what he should do next.
Three days later, there was a closed casket funeral service that Will had sat through silently. Then, after two more days, he dropped out of school, having no desire to ever return. He was contemplating selling his family’s house when Trenton arrived, six days after his family’s death. Trenton had come to take Will back with him to England. Apparently, Trenton had learned of Will’s loss and realized that Will was now his last surviving heir. As such, Trenton wished to give Will his entire estate, but on one condition. Will had to live with Trenton in England until Trenton’s death.
When Trenton had first proposed the idea to Will, he’d just stared. Will had only met Trenton once before when he was eight. Now at twenty-two, he was asked to go and live with him. But Will had done it. He’d put his family’s house up for sale and left with Trenton. It had been easy enough, since he had duel citizenship in the United States and United Kingdom. His mother had been British. So, within two weeks of his family’s death, Will moved to another country, beginning a completely new life.
Will let out his breath in a rush. Trenton was wealthy enough that Will would never need to work another day of his life. But Will was beginning to feel the need to do something. His thoughts were a dangerous road. He needed some activity to keep both his hands and mind busy.
“Eeth enaeneem thar?”
A cool, soft hand brushed across his cheek. Will’s eyes flew open to a vision. He stared up at her. She was seventeen. Somehow he knew her age just by looking at her. Her light brown hair fell just below her shoulders in soft ringlets. She wore a dark green dress with a neckline that swooped across her shoulders and had a belt of gold links at her waist. Will blinked. She looked like a character from some medieval story. Her dark brown eyes looked down at him, bright and questioning. She seemed just as surprised to see him as he to see her. She dropped her hand from his face and Will found himself missing her touch. She smiled and lowered herself onto her knees beside him.
“Eeth enaeneem thar?” She repeated as Will studied the outlines of her face. Even in the semi-darkness he could see that she was strikingly beautiful. Will started inwardly. It was dark? How long had he been out?
Just then, a firefly landed on one of his raised knees. Will stared at it, eyes wide. It wasn’t a firefly after all. It glowed like one, but had the form of a human girl. She reminded him of what he’d imagined a pixie to look like. Will’s eyes moved from the pixie to the girl. She grinned. Then, all at once, tiny people surrounded him. They danced and twirled through the air, encircling him and the girl with their light.
The girl laughed. It was a light and sweet sound. “Noreen kaethena tor neemth eettenae.”
Will heard himself ask, “Who are you?”
“Saerdian? I’m sorry. I should have switched to the common tongue from the start.” She smiled. “I guess I’ve grown used to speaking just Eveon.”
She had an American accent, identical to his. During the time he’d spent in England, Will had grown used to the British voice inflections and tones. Hers surprised him. But then, so did her words. He had no idea what she was talking about.
“Do you live here?”
He glanced up at the trees. Either he had shrunk or the trees had grown. They now dwarfed skyscrapers. Will felt his jaw drop slightly. Where was he?
The girl giggled. She must have noticed his surpri
se. “Where are you from then?”
“California.”
“Really?” She cocked her head to one side. “I’ve never heard of that world.”
“It’s not a world.” Will frowned. She must not be American as he had assumed. Or she was handicapped.
“Then what world are you from?”
She must be handicapped. “Earth.”
“What world?” The girl visibly jumped.
“Earth,” he repeated, slowly. She leapt to her feet, leaving Will to gape up at her. “What’s wrong?”
“You- you’re-” She began to back away from him, the little creatures following after her. “You can’t be an Ethon!”
“A what?” Will yanked out his earpiece and pushed himself up.
“Ethon is just a myth,” she continued to step backwards. “It’s only briefly mentioned in the Legends. It can’t be real.” She said the last sentence as if in trying to convince herself. She shook her head. “Where are you really from?”
“That is where I’m from.” Will was beginning to wonder where she was from. She was becoming more and more mentally stable than he perhaps wanted. He didn’t like the thought of not being in his own world. It made him sound crazy.
“But you can’t be,” she breathed.
Will opened his mouth to reply, but she let out a scream as her foot caught on a root, sending her backwards. Will leapt to her aid. He caught her just as they both landed into what Will hoped was molasses. Will grunted as he and the girl struggled to push themselves up. Will wiped his face with his hand. “You alright?”
She swiped at her eyes and hair, trying to clear her vision. “Who are you?”
“Will Patten.”
“How did you get into the Other Worlds?”
“The what?”
Her face was smudged with the dark ooze. “Did you even notice that you’d left your world?”
Will let out a short laugh and glanced up at the massive trees. “I noticed.”
“Ohreen doveem naunt.” She turned to one of the pixies and pulled a face. “They’re laughing at us.”
He looked at another one. “Why? What are we sitting in?”
“Sap.” She returned her attention to him. “I’ve done this before. It takes forever to get out of your hair.” She grimaced. “Usually I’m more careful.”
Will watched her for a moment, and then asked, “What’s your name?”
“Olinia Reien,” she answered. “I live here.”
“Where’s here?”
“The hidden world of Sivean,” she said, glancing up at the trees for a moment. “We need to get clean as soon as possible. Once this stuff begins to harden, it’ll be difficult for either of us to move.”
“So, where do we get clean?”
She smiled. “My house, the Hidden Mansion, as Zedge and I like to call it.”
“Who’s Zedge?”
“My twin.”
“Oh.” Will nodded, beginning to stand. It was more difficult than he had expected.
Beside him, Olinia was having a much harder time. Her floor length gown was trapping her down beneath the weight of the sap. Will bent down and helped her to her feet, steadying her as she pulled her bare feet out.
“Did you lose your shoes in the sap?” Will asked.
She shook her head. “I rarely wear shoes in Sivean. The ground’s soft enough that I don’t need them.” She smiled. “You ready?”
Will followed her through the forest, noticing that his steps were requiring more and more effort. The sap was hardening. Olinia led him past tall overgrown roots that would reach the top of basketball hoops. Rich, green vines hung from the roots and snaked around the trees’ trunks. A velvety moss covered much of the ground, keeping their rapid footsteps silent. Will took in the scenery with a feeling of awe. The forest was a jungle by all accounts, except for its feel. The air was cool and crisp, almost like it was autumn. Olinia pulled back one of the vines that draped down over a root and passed under it. She moved far more gracefully than Will did under the thick coat of sap. Another pixie landed on his shoulder. Will glanced down at the little man.
“They like you.”
He turned. “What are they?”
“Astrilites.” She looked up at the huge tree in front of them. Like the others, it was wrapped in vines and surrounded by moss. “Just a little farther.”
She headed for the tree that had caught her attention, and Will followed after her. He stared up, beginning to fully understand what Thumbelina must have felt like. Olinia reached the tree’s base first. She looked back at Will, flashed a quick smile, and then started for the nearest of the vines it was covered in. To his surprise, she began up the vine as if she was climbing stairs. Will blinked.
“Are you afraid of heights?” She asked, stopping.
He caught the hint of mockery in her voice. He shook his head and began up after her.
His legs soon ached, and the top of the tree seemed no closer than it had before. He noticed Olinia growing tired as well. Her breathing was shallower and more rapid. She caught his gaze and pulled a face, panting slightly. “This is the part I hate. But we’re almost there.”
A few minutes later, they reached a small landing. Olinia let out a sigh of relief and touched the tree’s bark lightly. “Krea ettee.”
Will raised an eyebrow as the outline of a circular door appeared in the bark. Olinia smiled and pushed her weight against it. The door slowly opened, revealing a large, open entryway. Will peered inside. It was something straight out of a faerytale. A long wooden staircase flowed out to the floor with banisters of wrought iron. A shaggy rug sat at the foot of the staircase, directly in the middle of the room. Tall archways into other rooms opened at either side of the staircase. Intricate leaves and lifelike images of Astrilites were carved into the doorways, lit by flickering candelabras.
Olinia had already entered, leaving a trail of the dark sticky ooze past the door. “Sadree!” She shouted as Will stepped through the door as well. Once he was through, Olinia turned back to the door and touched it again, saying, “Evelle eemtt.”
The door shut by itself. Olinia laughed at his surprise. “It’s an Eveon door.”
“What’s Eveon?”
“The door’s Eveon.”
Will frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Pelowena toreen ethella maen, Olineeya.”
Both Will and Olinia spun around. A woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties made her way down the stairs. Olinia took a step towards her. “Sadree, this is Will Patten of Ethon.”
Sadree’s dark blue eyes slowly looked him over. She was curious, but didn’t voice it. Instead she said, “Your baths are waiting.”
“You knew we were coming?” Will asked.
“Of course,” Olinia brought his head around, “I told her we were.”
“How?”
Just then, a dark haired man descended the stairs behind Sadree. He was eyeing Will in the same way Sadree had. Olinia smiled up at him. “Denon, this is Will Patten of Ethon.”
Denon bowed slightly at the waist. “Your bath is ready. I can take you to it.”
“Thank you.” Will didn’t need further encouragement. He followed after Denon, aware of the sucking sound his tennis shoes made as he climbed.
Below him, still at the foot of the stairs, Olinia turned to Sadree and asked in Eveon, “Is my bath set up in my room?”
Sadree nodded while a frown formed at the edges of her mouth. Olinia assumed that Sadree had already guessed at what she wanted to do. Sadree’s eyes drifted up at Will momentarily. “Perhaps it would be best not to use your gifts around the Ethon, princess.”
Olinia smiled. “I think I’ll be fine.” She winked. “He won’t even see me.” With that, she snapped her fingers, causing herself to become invisible, both from sight and sound.
“Be prudent,” Sadree whispered over her shoulder as she walked off.
“Always,” Olinia replied in Saerdian, even though she knew the wo
rds would never be heard. She turned back towards the stairs and began unbuttoning the back of her gown. There was no way she would walk up the stairs in a gown heavy with almost hard tree sap.
“Olinia.” Denon’s tight voice above her made her hands freeze.
Her eyes shot up to where Denon and Will stood, a few feet from the top. Olinia blinked. Denon was a couple steps above Will, his eyes glued to Will’s face. Olinia suddenly realized with a start that Will was watching her, there at the foot of the stairs with her dress barely hanging on her shoulders. But she was invisible! Olinia felt a fleeting moment of panic as she met Will’s gaze. He seemed oddly amused. She blinked again. “You can see me?”
“Am I not supposed to?” Will raised an eyebrow.
“No.” Olinia glanced up at Denon, who seemed to be searching the entryway for any sign of her. “Ask Denon where I am.”
Will frowned, but asked without turning, “Can you really not see her, Denon?”
Denon’s face paled slightly. “Nor can I hear her.”
She pulled a face. Denon and Sadree had already been worried enough about her bringing back a stranger, let alone an Ethon. They had absolutely refused to help him when she had sent the message of her and Will’s misfortune to their thoughts. They were shocked that she had even found someone in the forest. Poor Sadree and Denon. They were always worrying over her welfare.
“Olinia-” Will’s gray eyes were dark and stormy. His mouth was a tight line. “How is this possible?”
She bit at her lower lip, quiet for a moment. He must truly be an Ethon. Any Other Worlder would have recognized her gift as Eveon. Olinia met Will’s gaze again. They were intense and unmoving, but Olinia noticed a hint of desperation, as if he was teetering on the edge of sanity. She grimaced, not sure why she suddenly felt so sad just by looking into his eyes.
