Into The World

#7 - Terra incognita

Eliza dusts her hands off as she marvels the sight around her. How is this possible? Tom stops right before her, 'We need to talk.' He says, extending his left hand.

Jason chokes when he watches the man transmute into a young tween who extends her hand. Definitely a game.

I have definitely seen this person somewhere. Eliza muses as Tom waits for her to get up. But where? Her gaze shifts to his hand. What? She stares at the glinting sapphire embedded in the center of his palm. He's a teleporter?

'Eliza, step away from him right now.' Anthony says, just a few meters away.

'We don't have much time,' Tom says. 'I'll answer all your questions.'

Eliza's gaze remains fixated on his hand. She notices a mark on his wrist. Is he? She lifts her head to see the man's brown eyes. Are you... She slowly extends her left arm in Tom's direction. 'What is she doing?' Jason whispers as he slowly approaches her.

'No,' Anthony says when he suddenly can't move forward. He places his hands on the transparent barrier before him. So this is what he wants to do? He rubs his hands, while glaring at the tween who smiles at his daughter. Don't do it, Eliza. He places his hands on the invisible barrier and closes his eyes, 'Dissolve.' His hands pass through the barrier which begins to melt. The barrier diffuses as Anthony opens his eyes.

'No!' He hurtles forward to where Eliza once stood and scans the vacant courtyard.

...

Eliza falls down, coughing. That was too tight. She muses as she rubs her shoulders. Her eyes slowly adjust to the view before her - a plush couch, an oak coffee table and a semi-closed serving hatch that displays a modular kitchen. What is this place? She gets up, straightening her coat. 

And where is he? She scans the area, rubbing her left wrist. 'If only if I hadn't seen that scar,' she whispers, remembering the 'Z' shaped mark she had seen earlier. But still, it can't be him. She takes out a small device and attaches it under the table. This better work.

'Uncle!' Eliza turns back when she hears a voice squeak from the hallway. A young girl wearing a dragon costume enters the room, 'Where are you?' The six year-old Elizabeth scans the room as she tries pulling her costume out, 'I need help in removing this.'

'Coming, Liz,' A voice answers from the kitchen. He peers through the window to see his niece. 'Oh, that wasn't ready yet. Why did you wear that?'

'We were going to be late for Dessie's birthday party,' Liz answers. 'And I found this on the bed.'

'Okay, just a second,'Her uncle removes a tray of muffins from the oven. He walks out of the kitchen, removing his gloves, 'Liz?'

Eliza shudders. That was a hallucination. 'Liz, are you okay?' Tom says, slowly approaching her. 'Yeah,' Eliza replies, taking a step back. She studies the figure before her. It is him.

Does she remember me? Tom watches his niece's eyes for any spark of recognition, 'Liz?'

Eliza looks around, straightening her coat and takes a seat on the couch, 'What is it that you couldn't tell me back there?' She grabs the water bottle on the table and examines it. 'It's water. You can have it.' Tom says, pointing to the bottle. 'And one moment,' He says and canters back to the kitchen.