Between Worlds (The Wall Series #1)

Chapter 8

He's in the other world.

Your mother could not survive the impact of the wall opening—she was standing too close.

I'm not from this world. And neither is the colonel.

My father was in the other world. The other world.

My heart sunk. How was I ever going to find him?

And what about my mother's words, then? Fragments. Password.

My head reeled. I was forgetting something. She was trying to give me a clue. Maybe about the wall. Or was it related to my father?

Or maybe she wasn't thinking straight, I thought. She was injured on the head, her eyes were closed, and she was stammering. Maybe she didn't mean anything at all.

A part of me doubted it, though. It might be my gut feeling, but I knew she wouldn't say those things for no reason. Even if she was bruised on the head. She wouldn't.

It was afternoon. We reached home in no time. I unlocked the door and went inside, followed by Anna and Heather. Heather went straight upstairs, saying that her headache was getting unbearable.

Meanwhile, I went to get some orange juice from the kitchen, and when I came back I handed Anna a glass as I sat down with my own on the couch.

"Amy," Anna finally said. I felt more comfortable discussing things with Anna privately, for some reason.

"If Mileva works for the colonel," she began, sipping on her drink and tapping her fingers on her knee, the way she always did when she was thinking, "and she wanted to know about the wall from us, then that means—"

"The colonel wanted to know about the wall," I finished.

She nodded. "But why would he do that? If he, like Mileva said, is from the other world, then he should have come through the wall, right? So shouldn't he know about it?"

She was right. Why did he want to know?

But there was something else I was more bothered about.

"Anna," I said, "That's important, too. But we can deal with that later. I'm worried sick about my father."

"She might be lying," Anna said.

I shook my head. "Where else would he be, then? No wonder he hasn't been answering my calls, or didn't even try calling me. If he was anywhere else, I'm sure I would know." I sighed in anguish. "He's in another world. How did he even get there? How did he know about the wall? How am I going to get him?"

My lip slightly quivered. I rubbed my eyes with my palms. Everything felt so uncertain, so distant, so impossible. What on earth was I going to do?

Anna placed a hand on my shoulder. "Amy, hey. We'll think of something, okay? Don't panic. You're not alone."

I sighed. She was right. "Okay," I answered, still trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my gut. I drank a bit of my orange juice, hoping it would make me feel better. I knew I needed to push the negative feeling away.

You'll figure something out. Soon. It may be distant or uncertain, but never impossible. Impossible was a word your father never taught you.

We stayed silent for sometime. My thoughts once again wandered to my house. It was certain I couldn't live here for long if I don't find my father soon. Maybe I should move in with Heather and her father.

Was it okay trust them?

But what other choice did I have, anyway? They were my only relatives. How long would I live alone?