Sarah was riding in the back of the black SUV. She looked out the tinted windows. The forest around the road was populated by strange trees. A portion of them had silver bark and blue leaves that shimmered and sparkled in the strange twilight this world seemed to exist in. Some were a dark green, almost black others purple. The shapes were similar to the trees she was used to. She saw a silhouette emerge from the shadow of the forest it was massive and it hit some field of white energy and fell backwards. She jumped it tried a couple more times and it seemed to lose interest. The driver in the car who was a normal seeming man, but he spoke English with a strong Russian accent.
“Hydra. Big and Dumb. Never learn not to smack into energy shield.”
“Are there a lot of them, sir?”
“Da. Common close to barrier. It is their natural habitat.”
“Is it always this dark here?”
“Nyet, at night and in winter it gets much darker. Very depressing.”
“So, the sun never shines?”
“Only on school. You’ll see. It is sunny day. Very warm.”
“Are you a teacher?”
“Nyet, Security force.”
“We need a security force?”
“Nyet, just make governments feel better. I am Russian soldier, Spetsnaz. Very prestigious posting here at school.”
“You are Scottish, Da?”
Sarah nodded.
“Are you strong?”
“I guess…they said I’m a PL8.”
“Very good. You get good job when you grow up. You know Russia always looking for new super’s pay is good. If you don’t mind cold.”
“I miss the cold, I’ve been stuck in Arizona for two years. Miss playing hockey on outdoor rinks.”
“Da, Hockey, good sport. Russia has good team.”
“Did Russia basically send you here to recruit supers at a young age.”
He laughed.
“Da, I get bonus.”
“Well, sir, I will consider the offer. I’m not sure I’m that useful I can only make plants grow and do something they call TK.”
“Very useful. Plants are food, bigger plants, more food. Feeding people good, Da?”
“I guess it is.”
“We are almost there. You know way to dorm?”
“I have a map, thank you for the ride. Sorry I was late and made you late.”
“It no problem. Gave me time for smoke. I see you around Sarah.”
He pulled into a parking lot with several other SUV’s and a bus. Sarah got out and the Russian soldier helped her get her luggage out. She extended the handle and started walking towards the school. She was wearing a tartan skirt and a blouse. Her platinum blonde hair was in a long braid. She looked over the buildings she could see in her immediate vicinity. The whole school campus looked like some mix of 18th century buildings and modern glass buildings. She looked up at the sun light as it shone down on her. The horizon looked strange as the sun gave way to twilight at the edges of the campus. She saw most of the students in the area were her age. The older students already having gone off to their dorms leaving the grade 9’s to gawk at the new world. She pulled out her phone and looked at the map. It was giving her the path to take to her dorm, so she followed it. She was eager to kick off her shoes and let her grandparents know she’d arrived safely, both sets.
Her dorm looked like a 19th century mansion. The sign in front of it stated: Umbra Hall. The inside matched the exterior save for the obvious LED power saving bulbs. She was met by none other than Carly Sheppard who was wearing a skirt and blouse and looked much more professional than last time she’d seen her. Carly smiled when she saw her.
“Ms. Sheppard.”
“So formal. Can I have a hug?”
Sarah hugged her. Carly held her out at arm’s length.
“You’re looking good.”
Sarah blushed.
“I started on medication to help, well make things move along faster.”
“You look so much better. You were so thin before.”
“My Nan, she doesn’t know the meaning of too much food.”
“Aren’t all Grandmother’s like that?”
“I think they are because my other grandma was the same way.”
“So, they wanted to see you after all?”
“Aye. They were so excited that they had a biological granddaughter. I think they are even visiting with my mom.”
“Let’s walk and talk I have a lot of students to greet today. You are the first to arrive.”
Sarah nodded and started following Carly.
“I wanted to call my grandparents, let them know I got here safe.”
“How is the mom thing going?”
“I’m still not talking to her.”
“Are you going to call your parents and let them know you got her safe?”
“No. I’m going to call my grandparents. They are so worried about me. Like I’m going to poof off the face of the Earth.”
“Well, you sort of did, didn’t you?”
“I guess I did. Did you… umm tell your sister?”
“I told my family I was teaching at a very exclusive private school in Germany by special request. Here is your room. Your bunk mates have not arrived yet. So, you get your choice of bed.”
Sarah nodded and gave Carly one last hug.
“I missed you Ms. Sheppard.”
“I missed you too Sarah, who knew spending two weeks on an obliterated version of Earth would form such close ties.”
Sarah nodded.
“See you at the house meeting tonight after supper.”
Carly waved and wandered back down the hall. Sarah looked around the room. It wasn’t exactly luxury. In fact, it looked old, but clean. There was a common area and four individual rooms with a desk and a bed in them. She picked the one on the far-left end, it was twice the size of the others. She started unpacking. She was still tired; she hadn’t taken her meds today. She had been advised to take breaks when she was not in school, so she hadn’t. Of course, that meant she had totally messed up her schedule. She was still talking to most of her friends and sometimes the time difference meant it was 3 am for her. She had started playing video games with them. Somehow Eyre had managed to get her a game console from the other side, and she was happily playing first person shooters with Richard. She hadn’t been able to bring it with her since it was technically contraband, so she had spent the last night playing until 5 am with him. She had her phone on her desk and she had one of her play lists playing as she unpacked. She was dancing the whole time so when the door creaked open and a black-haired girl with the strangest magenta eyes peaked in, she jumped and blushed a deep red.
“I thought I heard some decent music playing for once.”
Sarah still blushing offered her hand.
“Sarah MacCloud. I guess I’m your roommate?”
The girl took her hand.
“Amee Morris. And I think you are right.”
“You’re American?”
“Yes. Mostly. I have some parts that I think came from Japan, maybe some from China.”
Sarah blinked. Amee laughed.
“I’m a cyborg. It’s just a bad joke.”
Sarah blinked.
“A cyborg.”
“It is a very long story that is better told when we’re eating ice cream and staying up past curfew. Unless you’re one of those annoying rules following goodie goodies.”
Sarah chuckled softly and continued unpacking.
“So, what kind of freak of nature are you?”
“I am a PL8 Life and TK super. I am also a magic user of some type.”
“So, I should stay away from plants if I annoy you?”
Sarah laughed.
“Something like that.”
“Cool. I’m going to unpack. You want to go exploring later?”
“Yes!”
“Nice, oh and cool outfit.”
Sarah blushed again and focused on her unpacking. She heard a couple of more people come into the room and peaked out. There was a dark-haired girl whose eyes had a slight dullness to them, her skin was so pale and her lips had a slight blue tinge them, Sarah thought she might be a zombie. She wore a very conservative black dress with a bit of lace. She looked like one of the old Italian ladies she would see at church on Sundays. The ones who still wore veils. She had a worn silver crucifix around her neck. She had her eyes on the ground and she didn’t look up to see the other girls. Another girl followed closely behind her. She was also dark haired she had almost turquoise eyes. She was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans her hair was cut short and dyed purple. Her nails were covered pearlescent nail polish. She looked like she had just walked out of a seventies punk band album cover. Her hard suitcase was covered in stickers most of which were offensive in some way. Sarah slipped back into her room. None of them looked like they were remotely like her. She had a bit of a mini-panic attack if this were a normal school she would be nowhere near any of these girls, except maybe Amee. She put her noise canceling headphones on and laid on her already made bed.
She must have drifted off and she wasn’t sure how much later it was the sun had definitely changed position. Her foot was being shaken. Sarah pulled off her headphones.
“Hey sleepy head, you said you would explore with me.”
Sarah yawned and sat up.
“Sorry I was up late. Let me get some runners on.”
Sarah pulled on her running shoes and started tying them Amee was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and a pair of runners to. Sarah opened her drawer and dropped her phone in, the phone calls from her grandparent’s unseen. The punk girl was nowhere to be seen the creepy dead girl had her door closed. Amee saw Sarah staring at the door.
“Yep, she’s a vampire. No vital signs.”
“All the vampires I’ve seen have looked alive, I couldn’t tell the difference, I thought she was a zombie.”
“Her name is Maria, don’t know much else. And the other one is Kerri, she’s British. From what I can tell Maria is Italian?”
“Honestly if she wasn’t our age I would have figured she was one of those old Italian ladies at mass who still wear veils.”
“Oh my god totally!”
“You’re catholic too?”
“Most of the time.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Sarah laughed. The pair made their way down the hallway. They got outside the sun was still in the sky.
“Where to first?”
Sarah shrugged.
“How about we just see where we end up?”
Amee gave a small cheer.
“I can get behind that plan, no plan!”
“You seem pretty happy to be here.”
“You have no idea. It is so nice to be around people my age. I just spent the last four months stuck in secure research building with a bunch of engineers and scientist who were butt hurt I was smarter than them. So, soul crushing. First time I was there refused to let me leave. Too valuable. So, I left anyway.”
Sarah gasped.
“Are you like even supposed to be here?”
“Yes. They sent MANA agents to track me down, the Headmistress found me first and advised them against taking me back in because there was no place they could keep me I didn’t want to be because I could take over their entire computer systems without leaving my cell. She said she twisted some arms, I’m not sure if she was talking metaphorically or literally. She seems like the type who would do either.”
“Totally yep.”
“Oh, see that, that building over there.”
She pointed to one of the newest looking buildings. So new the sod was still taking root.
“I designed that. It’s a massive fusion reactor. It replaced a way less powerful Nuclear Reactor. It powers the whole place, even the energy field, which I also improved.”
“Wow? Why are you even in school?”
“Because I still need to learn how to use my abilities better, and well, it’s nice to feel normal. So, what’s your story? Headmistress told me some stuff but… well I’d rather hear it from you she seems like she might leave stuff out.”
Sarah nodded.
“I always get the feeling she’s like keeping a lot back.”
“So, spill, what’s your story? I mean I’m assuming you’re the one from my Earth. I should say our Earth. The other two seem like…they would be out of place.”
“Oh, you’re from Earth-2?”
“Yes.”
“I was born there too.”
“See I knew there was a reason your music didn’t suck.”
“It’s kind of does suck here, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s like they got stuck in the fifties.”
“We are totally going to open their minds to awesome.”
The laughed and chatted about the different bands they liked Sarah updating Amee on the latest celebrity gossip, movies and music. They ended up sitting with their feet in the pond enjoying the late summer afternoon and cool water. Amee adjusted her black bangs and squinted at Sarah.
“Why do I feel like we’ve known each other forever?”
“I donno, I feel the same way.”
Sarah bit her lip gently.
“Maybe it’s because we’re so used to dealing with people from this Earth?”
“You know what? That has to be it.”
Amee laid back and Sarah joined her. She smiled to herself at the fact she had a chest that didn’t fully compress when she laid down.
“So, do you have a boyfriend Sarah MacCloud from the Clan MacCloud?”
Sarah blushed.
“Oh, you do!”
“Yes, his name is Richard. He thinks I’m at German private school on Earth-2.”
“Wow that is a long-distance relationship, a continent and whole dimension away.”
“I told him to ask out my friend Sally she’s always liked him. He refuses. Silly boy.”
Amee looked over at Sarah who met her gaze.
“But you’re still talking to him?”
Sarah shrugged.
“Yes, he is my friend.”
“You need to stop boys in their tracks they always think there’s a chance if you’re still talking to them. Right now, he thinks you’re going to come walking through his classroom door in a bikini.”
Sarah blushed a deep red.
“Oh, I wouldn’t wear a bikini I won’t even take the towel off at swim meets until I am about to dive in.”
“Woah, why?”
“You know how you said you’re being a cyborg is a story for a night when we’re staying up way past curfew and eating ice cream? My story about my refuse to wear a bikini and show myself in a one-piece bathing suit is that but the ice cream better be double chocolate fudge.”
“Ouch.”
Sarah nodded.
“Anyway, what I was about to say before your admission that you hate your body, is that you need to make it clear there is no chance. I mean we’re the same, Earth-Prime says we’re too powerful for a non-magical world. No way we’re going home unless it is as MANA agents. So, since there is no chance, he will be able to get his little Richard anywhere near you, you need to cut off contact. Tell him you found someone else. Lie if you must.”
Sarah blushed and made an eew sound.
“Little Richard? No, he’s not like that.”
“Okay first lesson I’m going to teach you is: all boys are like that. They have two heads and most of their thinking is done with the small one.”
Amee motioned with her hands as she spoke.
“So right now, Little Richard is telling Big Richard that you’re going to come through his door any moment in a bikini. So Big Richard is stuck in this limbo. So, don’t be a dick to Dick and his dick. Let him fly free.”
Sarah shifted uncomfortably. She realized she had been stringing him along, but Amee was absolutely right, as a PL8 there was no way she’d be allowed back there unless it was for a MANA mission. Sarah sighed.
“Sorry Sarah. But as your friend. I need to tell you the hard truths.”
“We’re friends?”
“Yes. You’re stuck with me. It’s not like I can hang out with any of these other losers, I mean come on what kind of pretentious name is Earth-Prime anyway?”
Sarah giggled and looked up the wood dock when she felt footsteps, Amee did the same thing.
“Oh, oh, don’t look now it’s the Gestapo.”
Sarah recognized him as the Russian soldier who had dropped her off at the school he spoke in Russian and walked up to the pair.
“What is Gestapo?”
Amee laughed.
“Uh… never mind. Sir.”
He shrugged and looked at Sarah.
“You come with me. Ms. Sheppard looking for you. Sent me to find you.”
Sarah sat up and picked up her shoes. Amee looked at her and followed her.
“How did you find us?”
He pointed at Sarah’s ankle limiter.
“You are still wearing.”
Sarah nodded.
“Why you not get it taken off?”
“I’m a bit scared, things have been so good since I’ve been wearing it.”
“You don’t need. School safe.”
Sarah nodded.
“Tell you what, you need someone to look out for you, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Nyet, call me Misha.”
He felt around his pockets and pulled out a card. He handed it to Sarah who looked at it she could make out a phone number the rest was in Cyrillic. She found herself being able to read it easily. Misha Gurin, Major.
“Major Misha Gurin.”
“You read Cyrillic?”
“I guess I do.”
He laughed. He spoke in Russia.
“Then you are ready to move to Russia after school.”
Sarah responded in Russian without thinking.
“You are really pushing hard on this recruitment thing.”
“I have a little girl. Good bonus means I can send her to this school.”
Sarah smiled. Amee looked between the two not understanding a word.
“You speak very good Russian, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were from southern Russia.”
Sarah blinked having realized she was carrying on a conversation in a language she could not speak. Or didn’t think she could speak or understand.
“I guess the person who taught me was from Southern Russia.”
He laughed.
“They taught you well.”
They reached his SUV and he motioned for them together in. Sarah kept speaking in Russian without thinking.
“Did Ms. Sheppard say why she wanted to see me?”
He shook his head.
“She just said use your ankle monitor to track you down and get you back to the dorm.”
He pulled up to the dorm. Sarah nodded.
“Thank you for the ride, Misha.”
“Anytime Sarah, maybe we talk more, so you can keep your Russian good.”
Sarah nodded. She got out of the car and waved Amee followed her. Amee was looking at her still.
“I thought you were Scottish.”
“Aye, I am.”
“You sounded like a Russian back there.”
“I… I have no idea how I know Russian. He spoke Russian, and it just started coming out. I wasn’t even thinking. I mean like he spoke Russian my mouth responded in Russian, my brain was even thinking in it, I understood every word.”
“Weird are you sure you’re not some like deep cover spy?”
“Erm… I don’t know, it’s not the first time. I heard the headmistress and her sister talking once and it wasn’t English not even sure what it was, but I understood them perfectly.”
“Maybe you have some language power too or something.”
Sarah shrugged. The common area of the dorm was pretty full and Carly walked up to the pair.
“First things first, I’ll get your limiter removed Sarah, and second call your damn grandparents. They are so worried about you they called the Headmistress who called me, who went looking for you and found you gone from your room and your roommates having no clue where you’d gotten off too.”
Sarah heard more than a few giggles and laughter at her expense she blushed while nodding all she managed was a meek.
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Don’t just stand there go, call them.”
She shook her head and walked off to deal with something else. Amee laughed and patted Sarah on the back.
“Now you’re the girl whose grandparents think can’t get to school on her own. It’s okay I’ll still hang out with you. It will be a challenge but I’m here for you.”
Sarah blushed some more and rushed upstairs to make her phone calls, cursing her not taking her ADHD meds the whole way. She jumped on her bed and started with a viddy as her grandparents called it. She saw her Nan’s face appear.
“Sarah! You’re alright.”
“Of course, I am Nan. I fell asleep.”
“That’s what happens when you stay up all night playing your video games.”
“I’m sorry Nan. I just lost track of time and forgot to call.”
“You didn’t take your meds before you left, did you?”
Sarah blushed.
“Aye you didn’t.”
“Doctor said I should only take them on school days, so my body gets a break.”
“Maybe that works for other kids, but you would forget your head if wasn’t attached. Now how is the school? They got you in the old drafty one, don’t they?”
“It’s the Maple wing, I’m in room 18.”
“Wouldn’t you know it same room as my first year. Making you stay with four girls when there are single person rooms. Made me stay there because I was from a magic family and there were three kids there who were first generation. Wanted me to help them make feel welcome.”
“I don’t mind Nan. I met an American girl, she’s from the same Earth as me.”
“Oh, that’s good. Be better if she wasn’t American. But can’t have everyone be perfect. Who else is with you?”
“A very dead looking vampire girl and punk mage?”
“What is the mage’s name?”
“Kerri, she has purple hair and turquoise eyes, I wish I looked like that. I look so washed out all the time.”
“An Apple? They put you in there with an Apple? The nerve. Reckless mages, the lot of them. I should call and complain. They have no rights been near respectable girls.”
“Who are the Apples?”
“Reckless mages. No control, no finesse. It’s downright offensive she put you in there with her.”
“Nan, I’m sure its fine.”
“You don’t know them like I do.”
“Nan it’s okay, she seems nice.”
“And a vampire! Madness. They belong with their own kind, not near living breathing girls.”
“Nan, it’s okay. She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t safe, none of us would be.”
Her grandmother blustered a bit.
“Well, you be careful.”
“Nan, I need to call my other Grandma she called the school too.”
“Fine, but you make sure you call every day and watch that vampire and Apple like a hawk. Don’t trust them as far as you can throw them.”
“Aye Nan.”
Sarah giggled and hung up and dialed her other Grandmother. The older woman who also had grey hair but was thin, very much Sarah’s body type. Her grandmother’s face brightened when she saw Sarah. Her father’s parents lived in a non-pretentious house. They were wealthy enough because her grandmother was an archmage, mostly retired, but her other grandparents were very posh. Everything was just so, and she never saw her grandmother out of sorts. Hair always looked perfect and her dress always impeccable, usually a nice dress. Her nan on the hand wore plaid button up shirts every time she got.
“Sarah, lord be praised you had us worried, I know how doddering your nan can be, glad you got there safe.”
“Hi Grandma.”
“So how is your room? Is it a nice one? I made a call.”
Her eyes got narrowed as she looked behind Sarah.
“Are you in one of the group rooms?”
“Yes Grandma.”
“Absurd. My granddaughter treated like some common scholarship child. You are PL15M-8 that warrants a single room on the top floor with a view!”
“Grandma is fine. I like having roommates. It means I have automatic friends.”
“Yes, but friends with scholarship children, you may as well hang out with the servants. You are from two prestigious powered families, and they are treating you like some common PL1 there on a scholarship!”
Sarah forced herself not to roll her eyes. Her mother’s or well her mother’s duplicate’s parents were wealthy landed nobles and powerful supers. He was a healer of great renown and a doctor. Her grandmother was a mind manipulator, a PL13. They tended to be a bit full of themselves.
“Grandma, its fine, really. I like my room. It is further back from the hallway it means it is quieter.”
“Well, I’m still putting in a complaint, this treatment of a Grey and a MacDonald is offensive!”
“Grandma, I need to go it’s going to be dinner soon.”
“Yes, you should eat. You are still skin and bones.”
“I love you Grandma.”
“We love you too, Sarah. Remember you’re a MacDonald, remember to behave like one.”
“Yes Grandma.”
Sarah hung up the call and rolled over sighing heavily. It had only been two months and she loved her grandparents on both sides but sometimes they were a trial for her to deal with. She was staring at her phone. She heard her door creak all the way open, she hadn’t closed it fully and she heard Amee’s voice.
“Remember don’t be a dick to Dick.”
Sarah sighed.
“Are you going to let it go?”
“Nope. If you’re still stuck up on him, you won’t even look at the boys here. And what kind of friend would I be if I let you sit in your room staring at the wall pining for a boy you will never see again.”
“I have a feeling you’re going to annoy me into a social life here.”
“What gave you that impression?”
“I don’t know the fact you keep coming in my room without knocking, you have an opinion on everything, and you are American?”
“Redundant much? You could have just called me American and covered all that.”
Sarah threw a pillow at Amee who caught it in midair with surprisingly fast reflexes.
“Sarah MacCloud of the Clan MacCloud, are you starting a pillow war with me?”
In response Sarah threw another pillow which Amee blocked. Then lunged at Sarah and wacked her with pillow she had in her hands. She did it a few times more and both were giggling uncontrollably when the creepy dead girl appeared behind Amee.
“Excuse me. That is against the rules.”
Amee paused and looked back at Maria who was stroking her crucifix.
“Are you being serious right now?”
Sarah was looking at her now too. Amee threw the pillow to Sarah and moved her eyes to indicate they should go after Maria.
“Yes. Anything that could lead to an unplanned event is strictly forbidden.”
Amee leaned down and picked up the fallen pillow then shouted.
“Get her!”
Sarah lunged at Maria at the same time as Amee and they started hitting her gently with the pillows. Maria tried to fend off fluffy assault with her arms. The two living girls were laughing and giggling.
“I fail to see why you think this is funny.”
“Because it’s a pillow fight!”
The pair paused in their attack when the saw Carly at their open common room doorway. She looked at the three of them.
“Supper is in ten minutes.”
They both stared at her as did Maria. She stepped in the room and tossed one of the throw pillows to Maria.
“What are you staring at? You’re in the middle of a pillow war, don’t take this lying down. If she wins, she’ll never shut up about it, trust me I’m American. Proceed.”
Maria picked up the pillow and hit Amee who was still staring at Carly in the head. Amee blinked and Maria in spite of her dour appearance began to laugh.
“Now its war!”
Amee roared and hit Maria back Sarah hit Amee from behind. Carly’s laughter was lost in the melee of pillows and laughter. Eventually Sarah was out because she was out of breath while the cyborg and vampire who both seemed to have a ridiculous ability to keep up constant energy proceeded to pillow each other into oblivious. Eventually Amee collapsed out of breath.
“Okay I surrender. I surrender. Need food.”
Maria offered her hand to Amee who took it. She looked a bit disconcerted when their skin touched but she seemed to shrug it off.
“Maria you’re alright.”
“I have never done that before. I did not realize it would be that fun.”
Amee offered her hand to Sarah who had gotten her wind back and Sarah pulled herself up. Amee was moving slower than usual.
“Need food. Let’s go to dinner.”