Nethermost Realm: Prisoner of Arlunn

Chapter 8

"Hi Jenandra," Anya said shyly. She noticed that Jhenandra wore a beautiful blue corset dress, with a flowing pale blue gathered skirt. She approved.

"Hello," said Jhenandra. "You can call me Jhen." Anya liked her immediately. While Powell and Aldena began talking, Anya and Jhen got to know each other. As it turned out, their personalities were well suited to each other and she felt that they were soon becoming fast friends.

Shaz stood talking to two girls that looked older than Anya. She felt jealous at once. And they were so pretty. One had long red hair that had perfect waves every few inches. She had on a beautiful deep blue gown, the sides of which gathered up to the center with a small bow. And the flowered lacework was beautiful. The other had on a similar red dress but it gathered lower, just above the knees and instead of a bow, it had a centerpiece of lace down the front that was exquisite. Both the girls glanced Anya's way and laughed and she couldn't help but feel they were laughing at her.

Jhen took notice. "Pay no attention to them," she said. "Those are my cousins, Chasianna and Jaunie."

A few minutes later, Shaz broke away from them and came over to Anya and Jhen.

"Hello, Jhen," said Shaz. Jhen smiled and said hello. He turned to Anya. "How are you this evening, Anya?"

"Fine," said Anya, excited that he'd come over to speak to her. She tried to act calm. Jhen smiled. "I'll talk to you later," she said, walking off to let Shaz and Anya speak alone.

"That's a beautiful dress," he said.

"Thanks," she blushed.

"You look dashing yourself," she said. He wore a beautiful red jacket with gold highlights in the pattern and dragons stenciled in throughout. The wide, black velvet lapel had eight silver buttons down each side.

"Thanks," he smiled.

After chatting awhile more, they all sat down to eat. Shaz sat at the head of the table on one side, with his brother, Blaine on the right and Anya to his left. The younger people sat near that side of the table with the older ones on the other side, with Gwindle at the the other end of the table. Though Jhen was closer to the center and so conversation with her was difficult. Instead, Anya sat next to Chasianna, whom, she soon realized, she couldn't stand.

Once the dinner started, she could only hear the conversation on their side of the table, for the most part.

"So, where are you from again?" asked Chasianna. Next to her sat Jaunie, her sister.

"I'm from Earth," said Anya.

They both stared at her blankly. "Where is that?" asked Chasianna, impatiently.

"I ... don't know," said Anya. She'd never had to explain or describe that to anyone.

"You don't know where it is?" asked Chasianna. She looked at Jaunie and laughed.

Anya felt embarrassed. "It's in another ... dimension or something." She really didn't understand all that mumbo jumbo about alternate planes or alternate dimensions and dimension doors.

"Are there very many people there?" asked Jaunie. "Or, do you not know that either?" Both Chasianna and Jaunie looked at each other and laughed.

"Of course I know," said Anya, annoyed. She hated people like Chasianna and Jaunie. There were too many of them at home in the school she went to. "There are over six billion people on Earth."