dimensional crossings | DISCONTINUED

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨

part i

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Six-year-old Theodora felt that something was off that day she came home from school. She knew that something was off as soon as she got off the bus and opened the door to a quiet house. Her Uncle Aloysius wasn't laughing loudly at one of his jokes and her father wasn't telling him off for saying what she liked to call, "adult things." Her parents weren't sitting in their usual spot on the couch welcoming Theodora back from school.

Nope. The house was completely empty.

Theodora wandered around the house curiously wondering when her parents and uncle would be coming home. Eventually, the six-year-old shrugged to herself and made her way upstairs, oblivious to the oncoming storm that would soon be entering her home.

The young girl jumped when she heard the front door slam open and hurried down the stairs as soon as she heard a familiar voice shout, "Thea!"

The six-year-old raced down the stairs and barreled straight into her father's arms oblivious to the frantic expression plastered across his face.

"Hi, Daddy! Where were you? I love you!" Theodora exclaimed happily before finally sensing that something was very off. Her father picked her up and kissed her cheeks as he hurried outside and strapped Thea into her car seat.

"Thea, do you remember the stories we told you?" Theodore Jacobi asked his daughter as he started to back out of the driveway. Thea nodded eagerly, remembering the tales of wonderful parties in a grand castle and people with magical powers who protected a bridge between different worlds.

"And do you remember the part about the bad guys in the story?" Theo asked his daughter glancing at her through the rear view mirror. He glanced at the clock worriedly before speeding up a little,  listening for his daughter's response.

"You and mommy said that they wanted to have all the worlds come together but in a bad way," Thea said scrunching her face up a little, "They didn't like the rules so they broke them and there was a really big fight in the castle that the parties used to be in!"

"That's right, love," Theo said smiling at his daughter as she grinned back at him, "Okay Thea, last question. Do you remember what mommy and daddy said about their old jobs?"

Theodora frowned a little at this as pieces of an old story started to come back to her. Her eyes lit up, signaling to Theo that she remembered, "Oh, I know! You and mommy guarded the magic bridge and when the bad people came you wrapped me up really, really tight and went down to live with Uncle Aloysius!" She said grinning proudly at her recap of her parent's story.

"That's right, Thea." Theo said smiling at his daughter, "And you remember how we said that sometimes we can use the magic powers and one day we would show you?" Thea nodded eagerly, "Well love, that's what I'm going to show you today!"

Thea giggled in excitement, unaware of the real reason why her father was driving well over the speed limit and showing her, her parents' most well-kept secret.

A few minutes later, Theo hopped out of the car and hurriedly unbuckled Theodora from the car seat. He glanced at the watch on his wrist before lifting his daughter out of the car and holding her tightly. He took a glance at his watch again. 3:57. He had three minutes.

"Now Thea," Her father started off sternly making Thea lift her head from his shoulder questionably, "You have to hold on to me okay? No matter how dizzy you might get."

The six year-old nodded with wide eyes before lowering her head back onto Theo's shoulder. Father and daughter held onto each other in silence for three minutes until they heard shouting in the distance. Theo hugged his daughter tighter and she kissed his cheek as if to say, "Whenever you're ready."

"Don't let go, alright?" Theo whispered, before disappearing in a flash of light. He felt Thea grip onto him tighter as the world began to spin and colors danced around them. The jump took less than a second but felt like an eternity.

When the pair emerged from a New York City alley, Thea covered her ears as she met the sounds of the Big Apple. She glanced at her dad who had already begun walking and still had not put her down. Thea tugged on his sleeve, silently asking if she could walk but Theo shook his head and kissed the top of hers.

"Later, love." He said softly as he entered a building that would soon become their new home. Thea dug her head into her father'a shoulder still recovering from the shock that came with traveling from Seattle to New York in an instant.

Theo opened the door to their new home and sat his daughter down on one of the couches that had probably been placed there by her Uncle Aloysius.

"Darling, are you alright?" Theo asked crouching in front of the couch so he was eye level with his daughter. She nodded and looked up at her father in disbelief.

"What?" Theo asked trying to hide a smile at his daughter's wide-eyed expression.

"Daddy," she started slowly, "I thought you were joking!"

"About what, love?" Theo asked tilting his head to the side.

"About being magical!" Thea exclaimed throwing her tiny hands up in exasperation before hiding her face in her palms.

"What is it, Thea?" Theo asked shifting to a kneeling position and cupping Thea's face in his hands. She sighed sadly and looked up at her father with watery eyes,

"I'm not magical, am I?" she asked though it sounded like a statement more than a question. Theo sighed and wrapped his arms around his daughter in a comforting hug.

"Not here, love." Theo said sadly rubbing circles on Thea's back, "You'd have magic if we were in the place that mommy and daddy lived before."

Thea sighed again sadly and pulled away from the hug. She was tired but there was still one question on her mind.

"Daddy?" She asked patting the cushion on the couch next to her.

"Yes?" Theo mumbled sinking into the couch and hugging his daughter. She leaned into him and buried her face into his side.

"Where's mommy and Uncle Aloysius?"

Theo shut his eyes tightly. He was wondering the same thing himself. He hoped that they would eventually show up in the Big Apple, but the probability of ever seeing them again was little to none.

"Are they back home? Are they gonna meet us here?" Thea mumbled into his side. Theo sighed knowing that he was going to have to be honest with his daughter.

"Thea, listen to me," Theo started kissing the top of her head, "Those people that were there when we left home were not good."

"Bad guys?" Thea asked worriedly, "Like the ones in your story?"

Theo paused, he didn't want to scare her and was worried that this would probably be terrifying for the six-year-old, "Kind of, love. But these people wanted to talk to mommy, daddy, and Uncle Aloysius even though we didn't want to."

Thea looked up at her father with sad eyes, "Are they okay?"

"I don't know, love." Theo answered sorrowfully, "But they'll be here eventually, love. Don't worry."

"Promise?" The young girl asked holding out a pinky finger to her father. He kissed it playfully and looped his pinky around hers.

"I promise, darling."

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