Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lime-green wonderland.
I’m sitting on a chair on the porch, watching the fantastic forest display in front of me. The air is filled with the smell of damp dirt and plants. Green fruit can be glimpsed through the vegetation and I wonder what they taste like. I can go out there and pick one, but I’ll wait until Marc gets back. I’m not scared of poisoned fruit anymore. I feel somewhat immune from poison after everything I’ve been through.
Marc left the house. He decided to fetch the Danglers himself and didn’t give me any answer to my question. I’ll find out soon. He said he won’t be gone long. He was so eager to help me. It reminds me of Keith who always did everything to sneak away from responsibility.
The familiar buzzing of Tarih is making me feel safe and strong. I can’t feel very far with it since it’s connecting to me from above, but it’s still better than nothing. I don’t like to be defenceless like I was on Crest. I also don’t want to be left with only counting on Tarih. These Danglers better be good!
The sound from the forest is very relaxing. The sea and the leaves blowing in the wind makes me unwind. The best of all is the fact that I’m alone. The Petals guarded me every minute of the day and I can finally breathe now that I’m here without caring for someone else than myself.
The stream scrubbed off all make-up the Petals insisted me to apply perfectly and it was weird to see my face in a mirror in its natural glory. I can at least find comfort in the useless fact that I now know more about makeup than Carolyn does.
I wonder about Vita. I want to learn the skills of being a Shadow, but she’s not here to teach me yet. I get a feeling that I’ll need the ability so I want to master it perfectly. I wonder how my training will be like. Something tells me she won’t let me know until we visit Kria. Now is the time for Florem anyway. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I hope I will understand more during the journey.
This planet seems so peaceful, but I’ve learned that every world has a downside to it. I’m quite sure there is one despite what I’ve heard from Vita. I already knew that Crest is brutal so their animal-like side shocked me but didn’t surprise me.
“Meryl, where are you?” Marc’s confused voice travels through the house and I roll my eyes at his anxiety. His footsteps can be heard as he searches through the house, more hurried than when he left. “I swear I didn’t make up your existence! Todder says I’m quite a fool and maybe I did inherit a bit of my Mom’s insanity…”
“Marc, I’m out here,” I call for him calmly and wave to him through the glassless window as he passes through the hall.
“… I’m sure it wasn’t just a dream.” He stops in his step and a relieved smile grows on his face. He hurries out to me with a box wrapped in brown paper in his hands. “These are your Danglers,” he claims proudly and drops the box on the sturdy garden table.
He watches me expectantly with his brown eyes and I feel the strange sense of my heart tightening at the sight of his kind appearance. I shake away the odd feeling and turn my attention towards the box in front of me. I’m about to open it when he speaks up again.
“How did you make it back out here?”
“Oh, that,” I mutter. “I just use this necklace.” I pull up the purple stone and he inspects it with interest. “It attracts an invisible web that surrounds me and I’m able to let it move me around amongst other things.”
“You have to tell me more about it later.”
I nod and tear off the paper from the box. The box has the same brown colour and I lift of the lid expectantly to find out what danglers are. Inside lies a leather contraption in a deep green colour. I let my finger slide over the spaghetti-thin threads and it’s soft and comfortable against the fingertip.
I lift it up from what looks like a collar and the whole thing falls down to my feet. It’s a body suit skeleton with flip-flop shoes and a broader rubber part where my back is. The thin rubber threads are to be tied around my legs and hip and the collar will rest around my throat. The whole thing is light and bendable.
“This is interesting,” I add. “Will this help me walk?”
“Yes,” he says and lifts up a silky thin bodysuit in white. “You must wear this under so all the signals works as they should. Your brain sends signals to your legs and they will transplant through the Danglers and activate the legs to move even if they actually can’t. Doesn’t your world have the same thing?” he asks like it’s the most obvious thing in the whole world.
“Um, no,” I answer him honestly.
“Oh,” he says furrowing his eyebrows. “What are we waiting for? Go try it on!”
Danglers aren’t the most practical thing to put on, but the white bodysuit is comfortable and cool against my skin. I gained weight on Crest, so my appearance is back to the way it’s supposed to look. It was when I took off the shirt that I really got tear-eyed. All scars on my back are gone and I look like the accident never happened. My whole skin looks like I’m made of porcelain and I never had this soft skin before.
I groan loudly and give up trying to put the Danglers on the natural way. It’s hard to stuff something over my legs that don’t work with me. I remember when I first tried to get dressed after the accident and it was so hard that I gave up. It took a few tries before I finally related it to a challenge I’d love to beat.
I smile at the memories. I have something now that I didn’t back then. I will learn how to put on this skeleton, but not today. I grip Tarih and let it tie the Danglers around me smoothly. I deactivate Tarih and wonder what’s supposed to happen next. I should go back to the porch where Marc is waiting for me.
I’m suddenly halfway through the room and I feel a thrill of joy pulsate through me that these Danglers makes my body react just like any normal person would! It’s not a bad replacement like Tarih. I move around to try it out, but it feels normal. It’s like I’m not even paralyzed. I run out onto the porch and hit my foot on the threshold by mistake. Of course I can’t feel anything, but it doesn’t take away any of my joy.
“This is so awesome!” I shout and throw myself around Marc.
“You’re welcome,” he says blushing and I hug him tighter, liking his smell of fresh wood. He hugs me back clumsily and it’s so cute. That strange feeling in my heart comes back and I slowly let go of him.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m not used to girls showing affection towards me.”
“Why not?” I wonder and look him up and down. There’s nothing wrong with his appearance. He’s quite cute, even if he isn’t my type.
“They don’t find me interesting,” he whispers embarrassed.
“Their loss.” I shrug. I respect his wish to not tell me anything more. “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty.”
“You don’t look like twenty,” I add. “You look to be at least twenty-six.”
He shakes his head slightly amused. “You’re new to Florem. Everyone my age looks like this. You on the other hand look like you’re thirteen.
“Thirteen!” I say horrified. “I’m almost eighteen.”
He laughs loudly and it makes me smile. I have to get used to the fact that everything doesn’t work the same way here as on Earth. Crest was very similar to it, but Florem is a wonderland in itself.
“I believe you. Are you hungry? It’s time for dinner.”
-
It turns out that the people on Florem are vegetarians. That suits me perfectly and their food is delicious. Marc’s a really great guy and he makes me laugh more than once. I slept in the room I woke up in and now it’s a new day. I barely slept because the forest glows in the dark and it’s so pretty. Marc told me it’s because of the bugs that sleep on the leaves. They help the plants grow because there aren’t many hours daylight.
“The sun comes up around noon,” he tells me and lean down to pick up another starfish on the ground.
I am helping him with his work and have collected almost a whole bucket of the pink glowing stars. These are naturally glowing and that’s why we can see them in the dark. They climb up onto the shore in the early morning to sleep and that’s when we take them. I want to earn my living now that he’s taking care of me. I love moving around with these Danglers so it’s a pleasure.
“That’s late,” I comment and love that my back isn’t sore anymore.
“It’s normal to me. I lived on the Sunny Side of the planet for a while, but I never fit in.” He stops up and sits down on a rock. “You’re the closest I ever had to a friend. Everyone is friendly on Florem, but that doesn’t make them your friend. I was never included in any groups and got the cold hand whenever I tried. In the end I moved away and ended up here where all the outcasts live. Even they like to keep to themselves. The Sunny Side is all about socializing. Over here we keep to ourselves.”
I look up at the dark blue sky and a lot of stars are twinkling at us. His story is sad and I wonder if I had people around me that felt the same as him. I didn’t invite anyone into our group because they came freely and I was too focused on myself. I learned to keep to myself on Paxia, but even there I had a few people looking after me.
“Then they won’t pry into my business?” I ask him and hope for a positive answer.
“You don’t have to worry about that. No one’s out to get you. Things will be calmer if they don’t know about the Iris thing.”
I put down the bucket on the sand and decide to take a break with him. The whole atmosphere is magical and I realize that I like this setting. I like the dark, the stars and the glowing starfish in the sand. I like being here with Marc. I wonder how many morning we will spend like this before Saha thinks I’m finished here. First I have a lot to learn and Marc promised to tour me around the neighbourhood.
“My home isn’t in this dimension,” I add thoughtfully. “No matter how long I search, I won’t find it.” I must find Lila to send me back to Earth unless I figure it out by myself.
“It must be a special place.”
I reach out my hand and grab his. “It’s just as special as this world is, as any world, but no world can ever be perfect. There’s no meaning in perfection.”
He’s quiet for a while, lost in deep thoughts before he speaks up again. “Florem wants to be perfect. It’s a poison that the Sunny Side is frantic about. I’ll take you to the Sunny Side one day.”
We watch the sunset from there and I tell him the story of my adventure. Now he knows just as much as Vita does. The only thing I want to keep to myself is what really happened all those months I spent in Paxia. It’s a dark period of my life. I don’t want Marc to feel repulsive of me and suddenly it feels very important that he likes the person I am.
I’ll learn to be like him. I will embrace the life of Florem and make sure to bring the best parts of this world with me on my journey.
-
We bring the starfish to the market. It’s the same routine every day. First we wake up in the morning, share a modest breakfast and head out to the each to collect the pink stars. I stay away from the slime-green water since it gave me so much pain.
We head to the small market after noon where we sell our catch to the carts that will transport the goods to the towns. The carts are run by green energy and floats above ground using some kind of magnetic field that rests below the ground.
There are no towns on the Dark Side of Florem, only a bunch of villages spread over the area. There are only small trails in the grass between the houses since all carts travel above ground. The greenery is overwhelming and I love it after the desert on Paxia and Crest.
Everyone on Florem is polite and no-one has asked me where I’m from. This world lives in a slow pace and the workdays are short. Everyone is enjoying their lives and no one is in a hurry.
I like Marc’s company. He make me feel independent and it was a long time ago I felt like this. I was so addicted to Lex on Paxia in a way that wasn’t healthy for my spirit. I’ve only been here for a few days and I also feel happy. Happy the way I felt before the accident. These Danglers has worked wonders with my mood.
No wonder Vita spoke so good of Florem. I’ve been waiting for her to show up, but I must have drifted very far down the stream. None of Marc’s scouts has seen her and I’m getting quite worried. Why can’t Saha tell me where she is?
Be patient.
Oh great, now she speaks! I grab Marc’s arm and smile up to him.
“I thought we could go to the medicine shop today.” He suggests and I nod enthusiastically.
We leave the market behind us and follow a small trail into the deep forest. Tiny purple flowers called Nightfalls are growing in the grass. I spent the first two days picking them and filled Marc’s house with their cute presence and sweet smell. We follow the trail for about twenty minutes before another house can be seen through the greenery ahead.
All houses on the Dark Side are made of dark wood. Only a few of them is painted and this is painted white. Herbs hang upside down along the wall and I quickly run up to them to smell the difference. They’re bitter, spicy and sweet.
“Interested in spices are you?” an old woman says with a cranky voice.
I turn around to face her just to find her a lot shorter than me. She’s not offering a kind smile and her long grey hair is tied up in a bun.
“Harra!” Marc greets her cheerfully. “This is Meryl. We’re here for some tea.”
“Do you like spicy tea?” she asks me without tearing her intense gaze away from me.
“Yes,” I answer her shortly.
“Good,” Harra says pleased and walks into the house. I follow her quickly. “Spicy tea is for strong and wilful minds. I can see that you are a stubborn girl who doesn’t stop until she’s beaten a challenge. Am I correct?”
“Yes, I am very much like that.”
“Then you’ll be good for Marc.”
I’m about to ask her what she means when Marc enters the house. Harra picks down a metal box from one of the shelves and brings it to the counter. Most of the windows are covered by dark fabrics so not much light travels into the shop. It smells even stronger of spice in here. Marc pays for the tea and the old woman pretty much throw us out of the house.
“The herbs are her only friend,” Marc tells me when we have come a far distance from the house. “She never talks to anyone unless she really needs to. She was always like that. Don’t feel offended by her behaviour.”
“I’m not offended,” I ensure him and stop in my tracks when I realize that we’re on another trail. The sea in front of me is huge and I must stop to suck in my breath. It is sweet water just like on Paxia. I can’t see land on the other side of the distance. “How big is the lake?” I ask Marc.
“It’s the ocean. It covers almost a third of our planet. I’m not sure how much it tells you.”
“How many live on Florem?”
“Around three-hundred-thousand.”
This world sure has a low population, but not as low as Crest. I choose not to tell him how many lives on my planet. He’d be scared if he knew the amount of people who lives in my home city.
Seeing the sun glister in the waves wake up a thought in my mind. Vita and I fell through the hole and down into the stream. The stream brought me here and I just need to follow the stream to find Vita. I never closed the portal after we landed here. I must find it and make sure it’s gone. I can’t leave holes after myself wherever I go. I must be careful about that.
“Are you up for a long hike?” I ask Marc with a smile.
“Sure. Where are we going?”
“To find Vita.”
He looks surprised by my suggestion. I guess he thought a long hike was hours and not days. He’s just has to suck it up if he wants to be my ally.
-
Having Danglers is a good thing because then I don’t have to use my Tarih necklace. The downside is that I feel the effects of tiredness. We’ve been hiking for a few hours now and I am not easily bored after all the hikes I did with Lex in the dusty landscape of rocks.
The greenery is charming and Marc tells me their name and facts. I imprint the details into my mind and I can read the info like an open book in there. I wonder if I inherited that from Vita. It’s an interesting skill that I’m sure will be very useful. For now I only have quite an empty archive, but I hope to fill it up quickly.
We are carrying camping stuff on a small floater that works just as the carts, but is only meant for travellers to keep their luggage on. It buzzes behind us and follows the tracker Marc wears around his wrist. It’s a small control device, tied on the same kind of rubber I have in my Danglers. The positive outcome of that is that I only have to wear my bottle of water.
These trails are less used and the vegetation grows over it. I often have to push away the big rubberlike leaves when I pass. It’s like a jungle in here and just as hot and humid.
“Have you actually walked this trail before?” I ask him a bit irritated because it doesn’t feel like we are getting anywhere.
“Of course I have! There’s a good camping area two hours from here.” He stops and pats his rumbling stomach. “Let’s take a break to eat.”
“Already?” I question him unimpressed. “Shouldn’t we save the food just in case anything happens?”
He shakes his head with a small smirk. “There’s food everywhere around you, Meryl. We don’t have to starve on Florem.”
Yeah, it seems to be the opposite of the Wica Island on Paxia. I look around me and wonder what he can see that I can’t yet. I focus my eyes and scout through the dense jungle. My improved eyesight is very helpful and every spider web is a glistering treasure.
We eat our small snack standing. Well, Marc’s actually leaning against a mossy stone.
“Do you come from a big family?” I ask him out of curiosity. His anti-social side tells me that he isn’t, but I could be wrong. Lex had an attitude, but Marc is the opposite of it. Still I can sense it from him since he seems to live in his own world. It’s quite cute.
“Just my Mom and Dad.” He sighs. “They are famous Doctors. I didn’t feel like going in their footsteps and they respect my decision.”
“I have two brothers and two sisters. I miss them so much. All have their own unique personality.” I get teary eyes and a wave of sorrow pinches my chest. “I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again.”
Marc wraps me into a hug and I spill my tears on his shirt. I realize that I don’t have to be the strong one always. It’s okay to weep. His heart is beating steadily under my ear and it calms me down. It’s kind of funny. Marc is hugging me and the jungle is hugging us.
“You’ll see them again,” he promises me with so much hope in his voice that it’s convincing. “You’re the Iris. If anyone can make it happen, then it’s the Goddess of the Universe.”
I slap him playfully on his chest and take a few steps back. Leaves spring out between us and I laugh softly. “Let’s go shall we?”
-
It’s warmer in the jungle than by Marc’s house. We have left the ocean quite far behind us. It wasn’t that bad to sleep in a tent, but it was a bit crowded to fit us both in there during the night. He never intended to share it with anyone so I can’t be mad about it.
We left the campsite an hour ago and I’m still tired after the long walk yesterday. Maybe I should cheat and use Tarih just a little bit. Then I might not sweat so much. Marc’s not sweating as much. When am I supposed to completely turn out as a Florem? Month’s is just too long. There must be a quicker way to imprint another species fully.
I’m glad that it’s just the heat that’s annoying me. At home I would have been worried about mosquitos and other creeps, but so far there are no flying insects in the air.
“Flying insects?” Marc laughs loudly. “That was the most hilarious thing I ever heard. It’s hard enough to imagine anything to fly.”
I’m quiet for a little while before it hits me. I haven’t seen a single bird or anything with wings during my stay in this dimension. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut so I don’t scare him away. It’s embarrassing to be called a crazy-head. How am I supposed to know it’s unnatural here! It’s not my fault Daddy never told me tales of the Iris-belt when I was little.
“Wait,” Marc says horrified. “Don’t tell me it’s a natural phenomenon where you come from?”
I nod seriously and he turns pale white. “We can also see the Rainbow.” I better add that one while I’m at it.
“That is fantastic,” he says amazed. “You have to let me visit Earth with you one day.”
“Um, sure,” I promise him awkwardly.
I wonder how far Vita has come down the trail. I wonder how far I went by the stream to begin with. It felt like a really long swim so it must have been quite far. This area is barely populated so I doubt that she has run into someone.
I let my hand play with my key. It shows me the direction to the portal. Too bad I can’t teleport to it now that the portal to Paxia is closed.
Turn left.
Saha’s sudden request takes me by surprise but I follow her advice blindly and step off the trail into the jungle. I can barely see my feet under the purple flowers.
“Where are you going?” Marc asks worriedly from behind me.
“There’s something in here,” I whisper anxiously.
There is actually something in here. I could feel it the second I stepped off the trail. I don’t know what it is but I feel it is close. I keep walking forward while I pick up my Tarih-necklace so I can scan the area with it. I’m about to activate it when my foot cracks through the ground and I fall screaming into a dark cave beneath.
I land roughly on the ground and cough a bit from the stone dust. I hear Marc call for me above and I open my eyes just to be blinded by a heavy white light. It’s not the light from outside that I first thought. It’s Vita.
“There you are!” she exclaims with her cheerful tone and claps her hands while running towards me.