First World (16 page)

They both dropped their bags and sank onto the couch.

Now that I’d noticed, the smell seemed extra bad. No way was I sneaking up on anyone right now. I faced Lallielle. She was waiting patiently for me.

“I have a room?”

“Of course you do. I change it from time to time. But essentially it’s the same as when you were born.”

She waved me through the arched doorway. At this point I
realized that front living area was the only room I’d seen in this massive house. I was about get a first-hand view of what I had missed out on.

Lallielle led me quickly through her sumptuous house. I wanted time to explore each and every amazing room, but that would have to wait for another occasion.

From the small glimpses I
was getting, the house was stunning. Clean and uncluttered, it still had that homely feel to it. We moved along a hallway. The walls were lightly colored and covered in elaborate paintings. On top of that, every corner, crevice and spare indent held a bright sculpture. Colors I couldn’t even describe, but Lucy would be in her element – color chart in hand.

“I love the art work. It’s so bright.” Each piece further captured my attention. “The artist is amazingly talented. They have a real eye for
color.”

Lallielle
laughed in delight. “Why, thank you. Josian does love to display my work throughout the house. And I’ve been lucky enough for others to love my work as well. I had a thriving gallery; people would come from all over for my sculptures and paintings.” Her smile dimmed a little. “But lately I haven’t been able to reach my same levels of creativity. Everything feels substandard.”

Well,
color me shocked again. Lallielle was the artist? I would never have expected such passionate, vibrant pieces from a woman who was so proper and contained. There was true passion and joy in this work and it opened up a side of Lallielle I hadn’t even realized was there.

I was jealous – as a child I had struggled with paint-by-numbers and
color-in-the-lines. I couldn’t draw a straight line and my people were stick figures at best.

“This wing is yours and Sammy’s, along with
your childhood playroom. There’s also a theatre room.”

I bounced a little
, well ... on the inside. When I found Lucy we were spending an entire day watching movies. Of course, I didn’t have a clue what type of programs were here, but I was going to find out.

Lallielle
continued to talk as we walked.

“There’s a games room with all the interactive tech devices. They’re probably a little outdated now. Sammy loves gaming. He kept us up to date.” Her hands flew, pointing out different doorways as
we walked. “The library – both electronic and old-fashioned books. I know it’s not trendy to clutter your house, but I just love books, something about the sight and smell of a roomful.”

I agreed wholeheartedly, except, of course, I had no idea what an electronic library was.

“When you have more time you can explore the entire house. Josian and I have the wing on the floor above. There is nothing off limits, so don’t hesitate to snoop.”

“It’s no fun snooping when you have permission.”

Lallielle laughed. “Even as a child you were a troublemaker. That’s your father’s influence.”

She stopped at a rose-pink door. The word ‘
Aribella’ was etched deep into the material; the name glowed for a moment.

“Touch the door,
Aribella. Connect.” She smiled. “You will be able to control the energy once you connect.”

During our walk, I’d continued my attempts to pull energy to surround my mind. It was becoming a little easier to leave it there for a minute and still perform other tasks.

Letting that go, I took a breath and reached out a hand. Hesitantly, I pressed it to the door. My name flared, and a surge of vibration traversed my arm. The material was smooth; there was nothing under my hand to give texture.

Then that spot, my coiled energy, started a low vibrating hum. I felt a response within the door, a similar hum. It took no effort to connect. My strand flew out and intertwined. After that I knew instinctively what to do.

The door slid open.

I clapped my hands. Finally I had figured out these crazy doors. “Will I be able to open any door that way?”

Lallielle seemed to shake her head and nod at the same time. “It really depends on where you are and the security they have. At night, I set the outside perimeter and you will not be able to open any doors or remove the iso field unless you either have a pre-approved energy pattern or you know the combination.”

“
Deralick mentioned iso shield when he captured us.”

She flicked an odd
look in my direction, before smiling. “They are simply energy shields to add a little more security. Most people do not bother with them.”

It would take me another eighteen years to learn the inner workings of this world.

Unwilling to waste another moment, I stepped into my room. The creamy white carpet was soft under my boots. I sank into the luxuriously fluffy depths.

I took a moment to look around.
The pale pink walls were covered in painted art, but instead of abstracts they were portraits. Lallielle had painted a timeline mural. I recognized myself as the chubby-cheeked baby, a dark-haired young boy and a few of my parents. I must have spent lots of time at the beach and crawling awkwardly around a lime-green field.

I could trace the days, weeks and months I’d been on First World.

“I painted this once you were gone; I needed something to hold on to until we got you back.”

Her presence was strong in the room; she appeared to have spent a lot of time here over the years.

A large balcony ran along the front of the huge room, with three sets of double doors ready to be flung open. The centre of the room was dominated by a massive bed with four large white posts, over which was draped filmy white netting.

There were mountains of pillows and cushions in lilac and pinks. Basically, this room was any girl’s
fantasy room.

I wanted to take my time, to explore the many shelves of photo frames, toys, stuffed animals, little trinkets. But
Lucy was my priority. Lallielle, sensing my urgency, moved toward two side-by-side doors.

“This is your bathing room.” The first door slid open. “And here is your dressing room.” The
second door opened. “Every few years I donate the old clothes and go shopping for a new wardrobe.” She paused. “It’s probably not your taste, but I hope you’ll find something suitable.”

Considering I’d left my other pack downstairs, I wasn’t going to have much choice. My current clothes were done. Their only use was kindling for a fire, if anyone was brave enough to touch them.

“I’m sure I’ll find something.”

Lallielle
smiled. “Off you go, Aribella. We’ll wait for you downstairs.” She left quickly.

Wasting no time, I entered the room. As I looked around, I gasped in pleasure.

It was spectacular and massive, with white and aqua tiles chequered throughout. A mirror framed the back wall, starting halfway and ascending to the ceiling. Just beneath the mirror were two large sinks about two feet apart. They were opaque and shaped like glass bowls perched on a marble shelf. The corner held a tall set of built-in shelves. A glass front protected the contents.

This was mine?

I approached for a closer look and, with almost no thought, used my energy to open the glass door. Inside were shelves of beauty products. The compound hadn’t been much for luxuries. We had basic toiletries, but besides Lucy’s pirated mascara, which I never bothered with, nothing else. But this was a mini make-up beauty store. Once I rescued Lucy, she was going to go nuts over this world. And in order to rescue her, I needed to get back downstairs like yesterday.

My clothes were stiff with grime. Eager beyond words, I shed them quickly and kicked them into the corner of the room.

Once I was naked, I noticed my necklace hanging low. There was one thing I had to do before I showered. I pushed the clasp, allowing the necklace to fall open. The yellow light reflected around the room, and I was again covered in my birthmark.

This time, though, I could see every detail. The mark covered the top curve of my breast, down my ribs before curving back to meet the detail on my arm. The pulsing red
lace-style network was hypnotizing. It was thicker in some places, and in others just the finest little detail.

I froze as I continued to observe the pattern. It seemed as if the faintest voices were echoing in my mind. Shaking off the feeling, I closed my locket.

Time to figure out the shower.

There was a bathtub in one corner and adjacent to it was a square stall with patterned stained glass
separating it from the room. I opened the door and stepped inside, closing it after me.

I looked around – of course, there were no taps or nozzles to be found. When I touched the wall,
I could feel the energy stream running through the stall.

Water.

Droplets sprang from the ceiling, ra
ining on my face. I squinted up, attempting to see where it came from. Shaking my head, I gave up, excited just to be clean. I sighed, soaking up every soothing drop. I don’t know how it was possible, but the water here actually felt gentler.

Once I was completely soaked through and I’d freed my long hair from its braid, I looked around for soaps and other cleaning tools. I should have known. At this thought, the water changed, turning soapy and emitting a fragrant berry aroma. A panel in the wall slid open to reveal an aqua poof. I’d figured out this world far quicker than anticipated. I finished washing as quickly as possible.

Scrubbed clean, I shut off the water and the glass slid open. I stepped out onto the tiles into the warm room and looked around for a towel. Nothing. Naked and wet, I hopped on the spot for a minute before a gentle breeze wafted through the room.

I looked around in alarm, searching for the breach of my area. But I was alone. The breeze continued and, as the puddle under my feet disappeared, I
realized what was happening. Within seconds I was dry. Even my hair was wavy and frizz-free. That breeze had sucked up any excess moisture in the room. Once again I was struck by the current strangeness of my life. But, for some reason, it just didn’t feel that extraordinary to me. I probably should book in some time later for a major breakdown.

Alright, time to find some clothes and get out of here.

I had no robe but I figured my room would be empty. I was wrong. Smashing into something solid, I let out a painful yelp. Immediately recognizing the dark hair that flew in my face, I mentally cringed. My face felt burning hot as mortification suffocated me.

Brace spun at the last minute, so I landed on top of him.
Did I mention I was naked? Butt-ass naked? Holy mother of ... why do these things happen to me?

He jumped to his feet, trying to dislodge me. But for some reason my instincts had decided, the tighter I held on, the less of my naked body he could see. In my own innocence, I wasn’t really thinking about the fact my naked body was plastered to his.

“So, this is a little awkward, Red.”

He’d stopped trying to dislodge me and was now pointedly staring at the ceiling. “Do you think maybe you could let me go now? It’s getting a little warm over here.”

I burst into laughter. My body shook so hard that Brace managed to pry himself free. Eyes still averted, he sucked in a deep breath, although the smallest smile played on his lips. “As difficult as this is right now, I’m going to go. Before Josian kills me and then reincarnates me to kill me again.”

That was an interesting thought. I wondered if he could really do that.
Brace smoothly set me aside. He made it as far as the door before I saw his eyes flick back in my direction. Shaking his head, he quickly turned away again and exited the room.

What was he
doing in my room?

I looked down at my nakedness – laughter burst from me again. I was literally gasping for breath. Lucy would die when she heard this.
Shaking off the mirth and shame, I entered my dressing room.

“Oh, hell, yeah.”
My exclamation echoed around the massive room.

It was brightly lit, a large chandelier, the centre piece, casting soft shadows. Built-in wardrobes lined the walls, and clothes hung everywhere. Walking deeper into the room, I paused – the entire back wall was dedicated to shoes – each displayed in its own little cubby. I stopped counting at fifty pairs. It took effort, although not as massive as Lucy’s would be, but I dragged myself from the shoes and continued
toward the back where there were floor-to-ceiling drawers and little nooks.

I opened the first drawer.
Panties, in every color and style. I picked up a scrap of lace that seemed to be missing most of the back part. Luckily there were plenty of other styles. I grabbed a pair of lacy ‘boy-leg’ panties in a bright turquoise green. I found a matching bra in the next drawer. Everything was my size. How Lallielle knew that was beyond me. With underwear taken care of, I now had to find something to wear amongst the thousands of clothes. I needed comfortable, easy to run in.

Moving with determination, I perused the imposing row of clothes. The first section was long formal dresses, the next shorter cocktail dresses. Who in the world would need this many evening dresses? You’d have to attend an event once a week.

Further along I paused at a large section of jeans. Flicking through, I grabbed a gorgeous pair, dark denim with numerous ripped sections covered in a purple lace. The material was softer than I expected. It didn’t feel like denim. Pulling them on and zipping them up, I found they fitted perfectly. Dream-weaving wasn’t Lallielle’s only skill. I found a pair of to-die-for, tight, over-the-knee boots. They were soft black leather and worlds away from my old pair in the bathroom. They had a couple of silver buckles running up the side.