Half an hour later, I stood at the front door with Willow. I tied my trainers and shifted my bag up on my shoulder, ready to go. Willow smiled, opening the door. "Let's go."
"Hold up!" Called Declan, running down the stairs to catch up. "I'm coming with you."
Willow frowned. "You can't."
"It's my sister that's been taken and I'm coming with you." His voice brooked no argument as he marched past us down the front path. He stopped at the end and looked both ways. "Where are we going?"
I hid my chuckle and turned to Willow. "Where are we going?"
"To see your grandmother, of course." She shook her head as though we were idiots and continued down the road on foot.
I shrugged. "I guess we're walking." Declan and I followed Willow across the park towards the old woods. I hadn't been there in years; Wynne and I used to hang out there when we were younger with Dee and Raven. The four of us never got into any big trouble, we just liked to have somewhere to hang out and the dark woods were somewhere to get away from it all. We never went to the heart of the woods though; once you got to the creek it got really creepy. And that was exactly where we seemed to be heading.
"Not far to the Gateway now," said Willow as she stepped across the stones of the creek. The creepy feeling intensified and I really wanted to turn back. I hesitated. "Come on!" encouraged Willow.
"Something feels off." I turned to look at Declan, who was suddenly looking really pale.
"It'll be worse for you." stated Willow. "You're human."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"The Guardian that protects this Gateway has deterrents in place so humans stay away. We feel them, but not as intensely. Keep going. When we get to the Guardian you should start feeling better."
"Who is the Guardian?" Declan asked, a slight tremor still in his voice.
"Each Gateway has its own Guardian. Their job is to make sure only the right people can cross through. Humans aren't allowed to leave this realm. The Gateway ensures our safety. That's why I said you couldn't come. You will have to convince the Guardian of your worthiness. Only then do you have a chance of leaving."
"Worthiness? Like a test or something?" I asked.
"The Guardian will read our intentions to ensure that no harm is intended for anyone in the realm we're heading to." She explained.
"Which realm are we heading to?" I wasn't sure how many realms there were; it all sounded like science fiction to me.
"We're just travelling to the Otherworld. It's where a variety of species live in harmony together. The witches live on part of the main island called The Cove and it's my favourite part of the Otherworld. Although I may be biassed." She pursed her lips as if contemplating that fact.
"So you're a witch?" I asked. I thought back to her healing me in the hospital. I guess that made sense somehow. If any of this could make sense.
She laughed. "Of course. Just like you."
It was my turn to laugh. "I'm not a witch."
She laughed again. "Of course you are, silly."
I turned to Declan, who looked just as confused as I did. He shrugged. We climbed up a particularly steep hill, the rocks and dirt slipping from beneath my feet. Declan caught my arm and heaved me up the hill with him. He still looked pale and his breathing was ragged. I knew this wasn't a case of him not being fit enough to hike through the woods, this was likely the Guardian's deterrent Willow had spoken of.
At the top of the hill we stepped out of the trees onto a dirt track. It bordered a field full of tall grasses and wildflowers which looked as though it had been untouched for years. There was something truly beautiful about it. We walked down the dirt track until we reached an old bridge. It was wooden and had certainly seen better days. I worried if we stepped on it, it would crumble beneath us. I really didn't want to cross it.
Willow stopped at the threshold and turned. For a brief second I hoped she was going to say we would find another way across the river. "Remember to keep your thoughts pure." She said to Declan. "If you intend any harm, the Guardian will know it and will not let you pass. You will bounce back off the ether and remain here." That didn't sound good.
"I just want to find my sister." Willow nodded as if that were a good enough answer, and turned back to the bridge. She stepped forward. The bridge creaked; the wood looked brittle enough to snap at any second. Oh, this was a bad idea. Two steps in, she was surrounded by a golden light and disappeared. What the...? I turned to Declan, who looked just as freaked out as I did.
I grabbed his hand. "Together?" He nodded. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts. We stepped forward together. A bright golden light surrounded us both. I held my breath. The golden light concentrated in one area, becoming brighter and more intense. I lifted up my arm to shield my eyes. The light faded ever so slightly and I peered through my lashes. A humanoid figure had coalesced in front of us, huge golden wings stretched out behind it. An angel. I gasped in complete awe. Feelings of protection emanated from the figure. This must be the Guardian Willow spoke of. I ventured up a hand. "Hi..." I breathed reverently. It was hard to focus on particular features because of the light, so I just looked in the vague area of the head hoping I was making some kind of eye contact. Then the thought crossed my mind if I was supposed to make eye contact. Maybe I should curtsy or something. How did one greet an Angel, exactly? "I'm Rose." I figured introducing myself was a good start. "Willow..." I pointed somewhere to my right, indicating she had just gone through ahead of us. "Umm... she said we're going to see my grandmother in the Otherworld?" My statement ended as a question, as I turned to Declan for confirmation. He nodded. The Guardian looked towards him.
"I'm Declan. I'm a human. I know you don't like humans, but I'm not a bad one. I don't think so anyway." I squeezed his hand. He was one of the best, in my opinion.
The Guardian spoke: "I do not know every human, and as such, cannot make a judgement on your entire species." They said. I could almost feel the shrug, but they didn't move. "I know humans are more prone to violence than other species, but can only go by the ones I have encountered." That was very enlightening, but then what did I expect from an Angel?
Declan nodded in agreement. "That's fair enough. Well, I just want to find my sister and I believe going to the Otherworld might help me do that." He explained.
I remembered the carnage of the previous night and wondered if humans were really the ones more prone to violence; those Vampires sure gave humans a run for their money in my opinion. The Guardian looked at me. "Like I said, every individual is different, and you cannot base an opinion of an entire species on the few."
"Just the ones you meet." I echoed back to them. I felt them incline their head in agreement, yet they still didn't move. We stood there for a moment and it was just starting to feel awkward. I looked at Declan, he shrugged marginally. Should I say something?
"You may pass." The Guardian finally declared.
"Thank you." Declan and I said at the same time, as the golden light shone brighter and brighter until it consumed us. I closed my eyes tight, still seeing the brightness through my lids and feeling the warmth on my skin. The light faded and I opened one eye. I looked at my new surroundings in confusion. Both eyes open now, I studied the long golden bridge in front of me. It was definitely sturdier and more ornate than the old wooden rickety one we had stepped onto. I looked to Declan, whose hand I was still squeezing tightly. He looked as surprised and as impressed as I felt. I dropped his hand, immediately missing his warm and reassuring grasp. I nearly grabbed his hand again, but that would be weird.
Willow smiled brightly. "You made it?" She was looking at Declan, a little more impressed than she should have been.
I frowned. "Of course he made it."
He laughed nervously. "Yep, no bouncing off the ether for me today." He repositioned his bag and looked across the bridge. "Where to now?" Willow turned and started walking across it at a quick pace. We followed.
As we reached the centre of the bridge, we could see for miles. I paused at the railing to take it all in. The bridge was above the most beautiful ocean I had ever seen. Bright reflections of sunlight danced over the gentle azure waves. The water was clear and clean. I inhaled the fresh, salty air and let the sunlight glow on my skin. The sun was warming, but it felt different somehow. I frowned trying to work out what it was that was bugging me. I lifted my arm and rolled up my sleeve. The sun felt warm against my skin but it didn't feel like it was burning as it would have at home. I was so pale skinned, I had to be careful in the sun, so I was very aware of the dangers of sunburn.
Declan joined me. "What's up?" I shook my head, still unable to work out what felt off, and rubbed my arm. There was no intense heat coming back off my skin like I usually got if I stayed in the sun too long. My skin felt warm, but there were no uncomfortable warning signs of heat stroke or the like.
Willow joined us, eyeing my arm. "Are you OK?" She seemed concerned.
"I don't know. Something feels off about the sun."
"Our ozone isn't damaged like yours, so the UV rays don't burn us in the same way yours do. You can probably feel the difference, since you're so fair skinned." That was it. Something so simple, but what a difference. I took my hoodie off and tied it around my waist. I would never have exposed my skin at home on a day like today, for fear of skin cancer, but here, it seemed I could enjoy the sunshine without worry. I sighed with happiness and turned back to the view. I looked out over the island that the bridge led down onto. There was a central hub of activity that I assumed was the main town, but on the outskirts of that were lots of little communities. The left of the island was full of trees, and nestled in amongst them was a large stone building next to what looked like a campus, with a huge glass dome built in. It reminded me of a cross between one of the universities in Cambridge I had visited once, and The Eden Project in Cornwall. I couldn't see much of the back part of the island, which again, was full of trees, but to the right looked like a sandy beach resort — and a posh one at that.
"That's The Cove down there." Willow pointed out what looked like a small village down to our left. I had to lean over the railing to see it properly. The glass fronted houses were partially built into the ground and were surrounded by greenery of all kinds. Winding vines grew up any spare walls in the village and trees full of fruit lined every path. There was literally food growing everywhere in the village and every plant looked to have a purpose. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.
"I can see why you love it so much." I beamed.
"Let's go." She smiled and set off again, a skip in her step.
As we reached the bottom of the bridge, I could see all the similarities and differences of this realm. The road wasn't made of the same material as back home; it was two tracks either side of a planted section. The tracks were lined with what looked like some kind of sensor or light, maybe both. The planted section looked to be low growing herbs, like chamomile or something, and they were covered in tiny white flowers. I thought back to the grass at the side of roads back home and the black colouring of them from exhaust fumes. None of that here. I wondered what their vehicles ran on. Maybe they were electric like the new cars being built back in our realm. The sensors on the side of the tracks would make more sense if that were the case; unless they were to monitor traffic. But, looking left and right, I couldn't see much traffic at all. Next to the road track was what looked to be a smaller, single version, and as we crossed I saw a bicycle type vehicle using it. The person was peddling it like a bike, but where the wheels should have been, there was what looked like a cross between tank tracks and skis. The tank skis fit on the tracks, and as the vehicle passed each sensor, it lit up. Were the tracks powering the vehicle, or was the vehicle powering the tracks? I couldn't tell. The person riding the bike waved as they went past and Willow waved back.
"Not far now." Willow explained, as she helped herself to some red grapes growing up a wall as we walked past. Declan pulled an apple off one of the trees and bit into it. I shrugged and reached up to grab some fruit off the next tree — a bright red apple. The crunch was loud, and it was so juicy I struggled to keep it from squirting everywhere. Declan chuckled, and I nudged him playfully. Willow turned off the main road, and we followed her down a lovely bright and open park area. Kids were running around, playing games, and people of all ages sat chatting on benches. Everyone looked relaxed and happy. The chilled vibrations emanated from the whole place, and I couldn't help but relax a little myself. I hadn't realised I had felt nervous, but I guess the thought of meeting a grandmother I didn't even know I had brought out feelings I didn't quite realise I had either. On the south side of the park was a number of the glass fronted houses we'd seen earlier from the bridge. We approached the centre one, it was slightly bigger than the others and out the front there was some seating and a huge fire pit. We walked down the lavender lined path and I couldn't help but run my fingers through the flowers, releasing the heady scent into the air, just as I did when I visited mum at work. My heart ached at the thought of my mum and I felt the loss deeply. Shaking my melancholy away, I glanced back up to the building in front of me, and took a deep breath.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE If you find any spelling or grammatical errors, I would much appreciate you commenting on them. I would love my book to be as polished as possible, and I'm sure there will be one or two mistakes along the way. I appreciate your feedback.
Thank you for your kindness.
QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS: IF YOU COULD SEE ANY FOOD GROWING FREELY ON THE STREETS WHAT WOULD IT BE?