Paradise

Four

3019, Earth

"Where are we again?" Justine asked for the third time as they strolled past stone houses, other two- or three-story buildings, and people of course, who gave occasional looks at Ben and his group behind Jacob, who was really giddy.

Somehow, he managed to compose himself, not annoyed by the repetition of the question. "You are here in Marraqua, a fictional city that was not supposed to exist, but since the last century, we have prospered hidden from the real world. We have learned the secrets of magic and believe in the tales of fantasy. Honestly, we are aliens. Humanoids. Ugh. I still cannot get used to that term."

"What?" Ben asked awkwardly. Jacob pronounced it like hurrmanods.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Anyway, I am still twelve and yet to learn the power of magic. But I have perfected the international language and of course, tour guiding."

"You're a tour guide. . ." Justine said. "this young. Wow."

"Not necessarily," Jacob replied enthusiastically. "But you can put it that way." He began to walk faster than his usual pace.

Ben watched as a horse passed by with a woman riding on it. She wasn't looking at Ben. He watched as the horse clip-clopped along the dirt path. He noticed that more people came and went in this area of Marraqua.

"Don't you have schools here?" Justine piped up, interrupting the sudden silence.

"No," Jacob responded without bothering to look. "We don't."

Justine smiled, though it wasn't certainly warm. "I like this place already."

Rizza nudged Justine's arm and Jones gave him a look. "Shut up, doofus," Rizza muttered.

"Doofus?" the boy said. "That is a new word." And without further discussion of the subject, they were silent.

After a few minutes of walking and getting around the place, Jacob, Ben, and the rest of the group stopped at a stone building as wide as the apartment-house back in the city, wherever it was. Unlike the apartment, this building that stood in front of them now was not too high and also not too low.

"This is where the mayor of the city lives," Jacob said as they entered the building. In an instant, they were surrounded with different colorful paintings on the wall. Pillars supported the building, preventing it from falling. They were stepping on red carpet that extended all the way to the end of the building. No. It wasn't a building, but a palace.

"I'm impressed," Jones said, amazed at the paintings on the walls. "Very impressed."

"The mayor is the richest in the city. He was six bathtubs of treasures somewhere in this palace." Jacob added matter-of-factly.

Justine looked at Jacob and blinked twice. "Are you. . .are you serious?"

"Yes and no," replied the boy.

"That makes sense."

"It's not only you who came here, foreigners," a voice boomed in the room. Out of thin air, a man emerged from a pillar from behind. He was a man with the clothes of a wizard, but he didn't have the hat. Instead, a crown floated on top of his head. He had a scar on his cheek, close to the eyes. His face gave the group a stern look.