Novel Jumper

Chapter Two

There was a clattering noise and Mrs. Well cried out. Mr. Well hurried out of the room to help her.

"Kasey!" Lilia's mother called angrily, and Kasey made a face as she also left the room.

"This should be good," Ryan said, grinning at Lilia before following his littlest sister to watch the drama unfold.

Lilia took the time to examine her gifts further. They were all wrapped in the flashy paper that her mother loved.

All but one.

Intrigued, Lilia picked up a plain, brown package and felt the material. It felt just like a paper bag - not at all her mother's style.

Nor was it labeled, except for her name written across its front in a spidery handwriting - Lilia.

Lilia knew her family members' handwritings, had since she was little, and this script matched none of them.

Lilia's family reentered the room and, on impulse, she slid the tiny package into the waistband of her pajama pants. Why did I just do that? she asked herself as her mother waved the camera victoriously in the air.

"Okay! We can start!" Kasey exclaimed, clapping her hands together and driving all questions about the mysterious present to the back of Lilia's mind. "Open mine first!"

*

Many presents and pictures (courtesy of her mother) later, Lilia managed to sneak into her room with a couple of her new books, claiming that she wanted to start reading them.

While her presents had been amazing - not only had she gotten many books, but also a remote-control drone and massage coupons - the mysterious gift had nagged at the back of her mind for the entire morning.

Before she opened it, she removed the present from her pajama pants, put in on her nightstand, and changed into one of her favorite outfits: black skinny jeans and a form-hugging maroon shirt. She removed the drawing from Kasey and placed it in the back pocket of her jeans. Now she could open her final present.

Lilia retrieved the present from its resting place on top of Star of Winter. She found it odd that nobody in the family had commented on its absence.

It was almost as if none of them had put it there.

Stop being silly, Lilia chided herself, fingers scrabbling excitedly on the paper wrapping all the same. She had already felt the contents through the crude wrapping and determined it was a book, but something told her that there was something special about this particular novel.

Finally, the wrapping tore away.

Underneath it lay a completely white book.

There was no title, no author's name, no picture. Just whiteness.

Lilia was thoroughly confused. Sure, this book was special and incredibly unusual, but wasn't it just a strange journal shaped like a book? She turned it over in her hands.

"Maybe there's actually a story," she murmured, and opened the book to the first page.

Reality twisted, tearing Lilia Well apart and putting her back together far from her starting point.

*

Lilia gasped, fists curling into the grass. Her vision was blurry and she blinked violently. Her stomach churned and she fought to keep the blueberry muffin where it belonged.

"What the hell - " a female voice started, but suddenly there was a terrrible cry from the same person and silence.

Lilia staggered to her feet and promptly fell over again. The world was tilting and she finally lost the battle with her blueberry muffin. Turning her head to the side, she vomited until her stomach was completely empty and her throat was raw. She gasped for air, clutching her now-aching sides.