Page Turners - Chapter 1 [Page 34] - The Turning
Charlize stood at the edge of the Page, straightened her collar, and dusted off the shoulders of her fitted trench coat—her typical routine before the Turning.
Behind her was the world she'd just crossed: Page 33.
Ahead, the Page seemed to continue forever, the landscape stretching beyond the horizon. But it was a lie. Before her was the Page's end, an invisible wall that, to the trained eye, shimmered with the aurora-honey colors of the Seam.
She thought she was further ahead, but two other Bookwyrms were closing in fast. They would kill her to stop her from getting to the client first, and if they got any closer, she wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to them. But she was ahead, and it was time to move.
Plucking one of the infinite threads of the Seam from thin air, she swiped it across her body, conjuring an invisible tripwire at her feet. With her trained abilities, the wire would be invisible to all but the most elite Bookwyrms, entangling any foolish enough to spring it for at least one day—a nice head start.
Her next job was on Page 34, a much more stable Page. Getting jobs as a Bookwyrm wasn't exactly competitive, but the reward for this one, a gifted Creation, could prove tempting to more than just the competitors on her tail. For all she knew, it was a fraud, a way to rope in high-end Bookwyrms, just to run when the bill came due. Despite that, the chance to gain a second Creation was an incredibly rare one, not something she could pass up.
Owning one Creation was already rare—a good thing considering the reality-breaking power they held and the tragic cost it took to create one. But two? That was verging on God's realm, the exact kind of power she was going to need if she wanted to reach the rumored heaven, locked away on Page 1. Nothing was going to stop that from happening. Not after the hell she'd been through—not after the Burning Black on Page 64.
She was relieved to be leaving this Page behind. The constant vibrating of every blade of grass, every leaf, every living thing, was more than grating after a few decades. The rival Bookwyrms only added to that buzzing.
She placed her right palm on the invisible wall, and the landscape shimmered at her touch.
Tracing with her finger, she searched the Seam for a thread to pluck. Though invisible to the untrained eye and thinner than a hair, she found it with ease. Any Page Turner would know the process, but a Bookwyrm had mastered it. She pulled at it just enough to wrap around her finger, then paused for a moment. She was more nervous than usual, and it caught her off guard. Could the job be more risky than she had assumed? Or was it the potential prize that was causing her excited apprehension? Obtaining a second Creation and stepping into God's realm would draw the attention of every powerful faction in the Book. Authors especially didn't like the competition. Then again, Charlize didn’t particularly like them.
This is the only way to get to heaven. And this is my only chance. Doesn't matter if it's bullshit, I have to try, she thought. She composed herself, returning to her usual stoic state, and pulled at the Seam.
With satisfying ease, the thread of the Seam pulled away from the wall in a perfectly horizontal line to the right. She kept pulling straight down in one continuous motion, then back horizontally to the left. The thread dissolved in her hand, leaving the wall with three lines of an incomplete square embedded in it. Sliding her fingertips gently under the vertical seam in the wall, she peeled it away and turned the invisible page she had created—and the world turned with it.
The invisible wall fell, arching over her, twisting the landscape and cresting like a wave ready to consume Charlize and the whole world with her. As the wall collapsed onto her, time slowed and reality shifted. Colors became sounds, smooth edges became sharp, and up became down. The wave loomed over her, filled with contradictions and contrivances. Time suddenly returned to normal, and the wave crashed down, swallowing up Charlize.
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Page 34 was considered a stable Page. Typically, that meant that the physical laws of the Page were in the normal range. But it was sometimes used for more peaceful Pages, with little conflict or violent flora or fauna. Page 34 was both, and Charlize was glad to have arrived.
She looked out upon the new Page. Blue grass stretched out for miles. Small pockets of forests populated by orange trees with pink leaves were dotted throughout. No hills, streams, or mountains—a perfectly flat environment.
Charlize was barely finished enjoying the thought of how easy this Page would be to traverse when she noticed an unknown guest next to her.
"Where did you come from, girl?" she asked in a stern tone.
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"I just turned the Page!" cried the young girl in the oversized hoodie sagging down to her knees and over her leggings. Her eyes darted in every direction, struggling to take in the new world she found herself in.
"Impossible. We didn’t turn the Page together. Stop being foolish, girl."
"I swear. I just turned the Page. I swear I did."
"What Page do you think you're on right now?"
"This is Page 6, isn't it?"
Charlize's eyes widened. She stood there, staring at the girl. It can't be, she thought, it's not possible. Before she had a chance to process the information, she heard the voice that accompanied entry into a new Page—the Author.
The Contract will be presented and accepted. The terms will be adhered to. Refusal to accept or adhere to the terms will result in immediate expulsion from the Page. Presenting Contract.
A Contract only Charlize could see appeared before her eyes. Shining silver paper with terms written in black ink that seemed to breathe and writhe on the page.
Contract
The Author gifts you the following:
* Access to the Seam - 3.86%
* Lifespan - 10 years
The Author demands the following:
* You will never offend or harm a Quillia unless provoked.
* You will never Breach the Seam.
* You cannot let the girl see the bag.
* You will never disobey the Author of Page 34.
Do you accept the terms?
"I accept," said Charlize to no one. She turned to see the look of confusion on the girl's face. "You have to accept."
Don't let the girl touch the bag? I've had personalized terms before but nothing this strange. Another Author playing games? she thought.
"I accept?" said the girl, unsure of her own words.
"You've never seen a Contract before, I presume?"
"No. What was that voice? And what is a Quillia and a Breach? Is this supposed to happen? Are we safe?" the girl rambled, struggling to keep her words straight.
"Calm yourself, little one. That was an Author, the so-called God of this Page. The Quillia are their loyal lapdogs. We can't move forward without accepting their terms. We would do well to stay on their good side."
"Oh, okay. They sound a bit scary," she said, clutching her hands together.
"You have no reason to worry about them while you're with me. Nor should you worry about a Breach; only a rare class of people can do that. You shouldn't concern yourself—we'll be staying clear of these things if I do my job correctly."
"What is your job, Charlize? Can you tell me?"
"I'm a Bookwyrm. I travel across Pages and complete various tasks. It's not always that exciting, but it has its moments."
"Cool!" said the girl, her eyes gleaming with adoration.
"What Page did you come from again, girl?" Charlize asked, her voice tentative.
"From Page 5. Isn't this Page 6?" the girl replied.
"That's not possible," Charlize said as her thoughts raced.
Her mind began twisting. It wasn’t possible. No one had ever crossed over from Page 5. It was well-known across the entire Book that Pages 1 through 5 were completely locked off by God. No one knew why. Many spent their whole lives—many millennia—searching for the answer with nothing to show for it.
She couldn’t let on. Charlize was a trained professional, and the girl was an unknown quantity. Keeping her cards close to her chest was the smart play. Even so, she had to know more. Letting the girl slip through her fingers would be just as bad as letting the job go. But she didn’t like the amount of risk she was taking on. Too many unknown factors, too many variables that could spin around and bite her in the ass. She had to be cautious.
"You’re sure you came from Page 5, little one?" she asked, softening her tone ever so slightly.
"I’m sure I did," the girl replied, her face unsure of her words.
"Do you have a name?"
"Um...No. No, I don't have a name. At least, I must have forgotten it."
"Is that so?" Charlize asked, arching an eyebrow. "What about your family?"
"I don’t think I have a family either. I just wanted to turn the Page, that’s all. Did I do something wrong?"
Charlize didn’t answer. Instead, she gave the girl a look that suggested she didn’t truly believe her, and the girl seemed to acknowledge it.
"Well, if you turned the Page, you must be looking to go on a journey. Am I right?"
"Journey?" A smile burst across her face at the proposition. "I want to go on a journey, yeah!"
"Great. But you can only come with me on one condition. You must follow my orders at all times. It can be dangerous out there. For me to protect you properly, you need to do as I say. Do you understand, little one?"
"Yes. I can do that! Before we go, can I know your name?"
"It's Charlize. Stay close now," she said as she started walking.
"And where are we going?"
"I have a potential job lined up. We're going to meet the client. I hear he's a strange fellow. A man named Od."