Chapter Sixteen

Apparently, Feidlimid was one of the elders of the community, and was responsible for me. I suppose you could have called her a fairy godmother of sorts, except she was mainly there to make sure I didn’t do anything really stupid or run off. (Notice that running off is not included with the ‘anything really stupid’ section.)

I learned this just as we were walking in to where I would be staying for the first section of the trials, which were to be held outside of the city, in the largest learning center on any place. (Or so said Feidlimid, chest puffed just a tiny bit. If she was proud of it, then I figured it had to be pretty special.) The most important thing was our intellect, not whether or not we could bludgeon each other to death with clubs. The next Maeve was unlikely to do much fighting, but it was still a necessary part of the job. As the ruler of this kingdom, (I still wasn’t sure if it had a name), s/he was responsible for leading the army into battle, if and when the need arose for war to be waged.

I reflected on everything that I had learned in my new quarters. The Irish and the Japanese, (not Chinese, mind you; they became very offended from where I came from, and I’m sure they were the same here), had partnered with them, as well as the Egyptians. They had allowed us to stay in the Japanese section, since there was no room for us anywhere else, and it was the quietest. The room I stayed in was simple and elegant, with sliding doors and tan walls, along with a smaller deck. The color theme was simple, and the bed close to the ground. There was a small sitting table, and artwork depicting a bonsai tree, or something that looked similar. Being from Dublin, I hadn’t really seen it before, but it seemed beautiful and exotic.

I sat on my bed, legs folded neatly into my lap. A deep ache filled my chest as I longed for home, and all that I had left behind. Who knew that such a magical night as one of the prettiest girls at the ball could go so terribly wrong! I laughed bitterly, and dragged my feet across the smooth, bamboo flooring towards the balcony from there. I couldn’t appreciate the view because my eyes were flooded with tears. The thought of what I was leaving behind crippled me, all the while forcing heaving sobs out of my chest. Da, Clovis… They had to be worried sick right now, and Adda would be distraught. As for the other girls… Well, I held no sorrowful thoughts for them. I was only worried about what they would do to her without me there.

There wasn’t any sunlight here, same as the place I had just come from. Apparently, this was the point at which the Egyptians, Japanese, and Irish all connected. This was a neutral territory for all three of the nations, and held some of this plane’s most profound, varied, and beautiful spaces.

“You are dwelling on something,” said someone from behind me.

I turned to find a small Japanese woman staring at me, her features beautiful to take in, yet still simple. “Who are you?” I asked, walking closer.

She stayed where she was, offering a mysterious smile. “You may call me Omoikane- Gina, or just Gina.”

“Why are you here?” I queried, exhausted from my long day. I had to have been up for at least eighteen hours by now.

“To try to ease your mind.”

“Ah; you can read minds?” I needled.

She appeared calm and unagitated. “No, but I do know Feidlimid.”

I became frustrated at myself, and a little at my lack of sleep. I should have thought of that, and it was sloppy that I hadn’t. Normally, I tried to process every possibility and act on it simultaneously. However, this didn’t work very well when I was exhausted.

She walked over and placed her hand on my shoulder. Her hair was styled in a short pixie cut, and she came up at least eight inches short of my chin. She looked to be intelligent, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Something else glimmered in her eyes that were nearly filled with compassion, making me think that she could easily out-think anybody that she pleased. “Do not be mad at yourself. You are lucky that you can be angry at yourself for something that you missed once and others never picked up on. Remember that; we are all equals, in one form or another.”

I shifted away from her listlessly. “I believe that you’ve accomplished your goal, considering I’m calmer now.”

“We’ve never accomplished our goals until we are done for completely.”

“What are you- the goddess of philosophy?”

“Actually, that is not too far from the truth. I currently hold the seat for Omoikane, the Japanese goddess of knowledge. Philosophy is really only the debate on how to handle knowledge.”

I turned dramatically. Usually, I tried to avoid this sort of thing, but I was too tired to even try. “If I say that I like you, will you let me sleep?”

She laughed. “As you wish. Good night, Stella Lyra.” Without any more prompting, she walked out and slid the door shut behind her. I collapsed on my bed and proceeded to strip off the layers of my new clothing.

I got a better look at what I had been wearing. The craftsmanship was astounding- you couldn’t find anything like it in Dublin, or any other place on Earth, for that matter. Whenever I tried to hit it, it became noticeably tougher and harder to pierce. I immediately put this down to the fact that it was more that likely magical or beyond what I had seen back on Earth. (Assuming that his wasn’t some weird pocket in between space and time that was technically on Earth. After all, Feidlimid did say plane, not planet.) When I tipped one of the boots, a dagger slid out and buried itself into the floor. I squeaked and jumped back a few feet. At that point, I decided to leave the clothing be. At this rate, I’d probably kill myself with one of the many pretty, shiny, and (most importantly) sharp things attached to the fancy set of clothing.

As I folded it, I remembered Zeke. Man, that guy was cute! He wasn’t like a lot of other guys that I had met back in Dublin; most of them were only interested in making out, and that definitely was not something I was especially into. His eyes had seemed so gold and green, and stood out against his brown skin. The current Peter Pan, huh? I could definitely see it, given his almost too-cocky personality. Two troubling things came to mind at the same time; the fact that Peter Pan was from the Tales, and the spooky lore that surrounded his ‘character’.

That involved a few things that sent a chill through my veins, raising goose-bumps on my skin. I chose to ignore it, though; after all, they had trusted Zeke to get me out of that castle where I had arrived at first, right? They wanted to be the next one to occupy the only seat, or at the very least enter the trial. Even then , Feidlimid had said that I would probably become a very important figure in their politics once this was all said and done. Plus, let’s be honest; I’m sure there had to be kids born here, and that there would be a few that had been training for a few years, if not longer. Did I really stand any chance? Could I stand a chance?

Let’s be honest; I’d probably be the first one out. I didn’t know how it worked, but I wanted to figure that out before it was too late. Feidlimid hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving afterwards, either. Would I really never see Da, Clovis, or my little bird Bard, nor the Bellairs?

For the first time, I let the tears fall from my eyes, hopelessness and fear seeping out of me. My chest heaved, and I hiccuped a little. This wasn’t the fake, kind of beautiful crying that you saw in movies and plays; this was sorrow, anger, heartache, and confusion bleeding out of my shredded, shattered heart. What must Da be going through right now? He must be worried sick, completely out of his mind. What would happen to Bard? Adda? Clovis? For the first time, I was glad that I was a misfit in school. This way, not as many could be hurt by my disappearance. When would they pronounce me dead? When would they give up the search?

And, most importantly, who else had gone through what I was going through right now, and who else has had their loved one torn away from them?

The night chilled the paths left by tears, and then re-warmed by another falling in the former’s place. The moon shone softly through the paper screens, and fell on my feet. I noticed a shadow behind me, and didn’t take any leave of it. Whomever it was sat down next to me.

Tam’s familiar ginger hair looked like rust on a silver car underneath the light of the moon. He put his lanky arm around me, and I leaned into his chest. He smelled aftershave, which made sense. “Stella,” he murmured. “What’s wrong?”

“Will I ever be able to go back?” I asked like a small child. I looked up at him, hoping for him to say yes, that my heartache had really been nothing but my over-active imagination.

He looked down at me, a somber smile on his face, the kind that doctors gave to their patients they had just diagnosed with cancer. The kind that whispers I’m so sorry… “No, Stella, I don’t think you’ll be able to return.”

I say there, numb beyond belief. I didn’t say anything, but just shook my head in denial. My balled-up fist met his chest in an instant. He just wrapped me in his arms, bringing me onto his lap. “You’re lying,” I gasped into his chest. “This is a dream. I’m on the floor of the ballroom, and this is all in my head…”

He just sighed a little, and rocked me a bit, holding me tight.

I fell into oblivion, the heavy weight in my chest blending with the fatigue from the extra-long day. I suppose I fell asleep like that, me cuddled up against his chest.

Author's Note

Sorry this one took such a long time! This one was pretty emotional, so tell me what you guys are thinking.