The Market was empty. Given that it had just opened, Alden wasn't too surprised. Still, even the sight of the place empty was remarkable.

  As they'd stepped through the door, a cobblestone path stretched out in front of them in three directions, floating on absolute darkness. It stretched around the outer edges of the entire Market, forming a fair-sized octagon.

  From their vantage point, Alden could see a few simple stalls or tents set up at various points around the path. They were all clustered close to three separate wooden doors at points on the octagon. Each door also had a pathway leading out to the center of the Market, where a small structure sat, with a gothic design echoing the burned down library Alden had seen earlier. The building was surrounded by a spiked fence, with a single gate that stood open over a path leading up to the front porch. Above the door hung a lantern, which was currently lit bright red.

  As Alden watched, one of the other doors opened and a few people filtered in. Inside, he could see what looked like a janitor's closet. Actually, he was sure it was the same closet he'd seen Hector in earlier. He surmised that must be one of the other entrances.

  Beyond the cobblestone paths and the few shops and stalls, he saw black. Pure, deep black, like he was looking into a void. Even the spaces between the stalls, or between the roads and the house in the center were completely, utterly black. He looked up and saw empty space, not even a source of light—though the entire Market was lit evenly as if lights shone from every possible angle. He reached out his hand—marvelling at the lack of a shadow beneath it—and found it stopped at the edge of the path. Not that he felt anything stopping it; in fact, he would have sworn it was empty space in front of him, yet he could not move his hand further.

  The vendors had finished setting up. Alden watched as a man in a thick jacket with a hood drawn over his head handed over a fistful of cash to an eager merchant. In return, a pile of tiny gemstones were slid across the table. In the perfectly even light, they didn't seem quite as shiny as usual, since there was no light source for them to refract. The buyer nodded and turned to quickly depart through one of the far doors, through which Alden could see what looked like the college library.

  All around them, the same scene was playing out several times over. One was buying gemstones, others more exotic materials. One tent had people entering for minutes at a time, with brief flashes of light emitting forth. A sign made from a few taped sheets of printer paper was stuck above the entrance, labeled in rough marker, Basic Elemental Training. Cash or cryptocoin only. NO REFUNDS.

  He felt the ground quiver. It was the barest hint of an earthquake, and yet it was more than enough to send his mind spinning. Alden looked worriedly at his feet, but the cobblestone seemed stable enough. He glanced at Rika, who had also winced slightly. The nearest tent canvas to them had started to wave, as if a light gust of wind had just rolled through. A moment later, Alden saw it happen again on the far side of the circular market.

  A moderately sized portion of the market shimmered, as if it were a mirage in the desert. The tents seemed far less substantial, the cobblestone rocky and uneven. A moment later, it was perfectly ordinary, with only the gentle flapping of the canvas indicating anything had just occurred.

  "Are we safe here?" Alden asked nervously.

  "She's keeping it open herself, you're just seeing her get slightly distracted. It's a pocket dimension. Nothing exists outside what she's set up," Rika explained.

  "Kendra, you mean?"

  "Apparently, yeah."

  "How can we be breathing then?"

  "Magic."

  "Yes," Alden started impatiently, "but what kind of magic? How does she get air in here? Oxygen?"

  "Look, Zack, if I knew how I could do it myself. No one knows, that's why this is the only Market around. Only place we can be absolutely sure we're safe from prying eyes. Come on."

  Rika started down the path toward the house in the center, as the people who'd entered from the college campus started setting up shop. Alden wanted to stop and watch, but Rika seemed in a hurry, so he did his best to keep up. Once they reached the gate, however, Rika held out her arm to stop him.

  She turned to face him, her expression quite serious. "Okay, Zack. I haven't asked why you're here, and you haven't asked me. Mine's not private, so I don't mind if you want to come in with me. If you want to keep your business a secret though, now's when we split up."

  Alden hesitated. He wasn't sure if travelling with Rika was the right choice, given the heated relationships she seemed to form everywhere she went. Then again, she was the closest he'd gotten to making a friend here, and that had to count for something, right? She certainly was the most exciting thing he'd seen in the town so far.

  Rika's face softened a little seeing his hesitation. "I understand. I'll see you arou—"

  "Lead the way," Alden interrupted. He thought he saw a flicker of joy cross her face before she turned, strolled up the walkway to the door, pulled it open, and walked confidently inside.

  Despite the eagerness he might have shown Rika, he was still more than a little apprehensive about this whole adventure. Alden didn't seem to have a great track record making friends, given the dearth of people waiting for him back home. With Rika he'd just gotten lucky, or maybe she'd forced her way in. Willingly entering a not-exactly-welcoming house inside a 'pocket dimension' was way outside normal for him, but at the same time it was exhilarating to explore this new world.

  He'd never progress unless he made it happen. Alden stuck his hand into the inside pocket of his coat once again. The envelope was still there, still undamaged. With renewed determination, he took the steps up the porch two at a time.

----------------------------------------

  "Rika dear, you do know it's considered rude to barge into one's home unannounced, yes?" said Kendra, not even giving them a glance. Her eyes were invisible behind the reflection of the laptop screen emblazoned on her glasses. "Pardon the mess," she added distractedly.

  Kendra sat in a chair near one corner of the room. Mess isn't really the word, Alden thought. There were stacks of boxes piled up in every corner, but they were very nearly arranged. Clear paths through the room existed, convoluted as they might be, and in one corner sat a pair of desks with computers, and a row of blinking machines sitting just below them. He saw a cord snaking off from the computer bank through a hole in the wall and out to the apparent nothingness. Behind Kendra, an opening lead to a staircase and a kitchen.

  Kendra herself was far more casual than when they'd left her only an hour earlier, clad in a sweatshirt emblazoned with the RSU logo and track pants instead of the business attire she'd worn to the meeting. She was busily typing away at something while they spoke. Unlike the Market outside, this room felt far more stable to Alden, and he felt his anxiety diminishing.

  "Uhh, hi," Rika started.

  "No need for that. Your reputation precedes you," she said distastefully. Her laptop pinged, drawing her attention away momentarily, but her eyes shot back up only an instant later. "Apologies. I've just so much to do. Might I ask you visit another time?"

  "I'm looking for—" Rika started again, but before she could get another word in, they heard a door crash open in the kitchen.

  "Cat's out of the bag, Kenni," came a voice from the kitchen. Kendra stiffened in horror. Rika and Alden gave each other looks of confusion. Unless he was hearing things, that was distinctly Kendra's voice—though clearly not issuing from Kendra's mouth. "Bit of a cock-up, and Rachel's right pissed, but we were planning to go public soon anyway, yeah?" There was a rustling as someone took off a jacket and hung it to dry. "You were right on the Scrap too, creation magic. Want me to put the kettle on before I head ou… "

  As they stared, Kendra walked in through the kitchen. Or at least, someone who looked very similar to Kendra did. Identical, even, except for the clothing she wore. She saw Alden and Rika and her face fell. "Oh, bugger all," she muttered.

  "Lily, we have guests," Kendra said mildly, returning to her laptop.

  Lily glanced at her awkwardly before continuing. "Right then. I'm Lily, I'm her twin sister, I don't exist. You two got that?"

  Alden nodded emphatically. No need to make enemies. After a moment's hesitation, Rika did the same. Alden was shocked to see her speechless. "Brilliant. Kenni, you need me for anything?"

  "I'll be fine, thank you," Kendra answered, still not looking up from her laptop.

  "Right. Well, pleasure to meet you both... again," she nodded at Alden and Rika. "I'm going to nip upstairs to take a quick shower before I head outside."

  Lily disappeared up the staircase, leaving the three of them alone again. Kendra typed out a few more sentences, then snapped the laptop shut and looked at them more intently. Her entire demeanor had shifted since her sister's intrusion, suddenly polite and welcoming.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "You'll have to excuse my inhospitality. I'm afraid I'm a bit under the weather of late. I'd offer you a seat, but I haven't put together a sitting room here yet."

  "Couldn't you just make one?" Alden asked. Kendra raised her eyebrows, the corners of her lips curling slightly in amusement.

  "He's really new to this," Rika said apologetically.

  "What? Didn't she do all of this?" Alden asked, confused.

  "Heavens no," Kendra replied. "I create the space, yes, but everything inside was brought in, piece by piece."

  "You brought an entire house inside through those doors?" Alden asked skeptically.

  "Trade secret," Kendra said dismissively. "Now, on to proper business. I assume you have some?"

  "Looking for information," Rika interjected.

  "You'll need to be more specific, I'm afraid. Information's quite the commodity these days." Kendra adjusted to a more business-like position, eyeing them with interest. "What are you looking for?"

  "Who. My father," Rika said abruptly.

  "The last I heard, Kazuo Nishimura was alive and well in Japan," Kendra said mildly, without missing a beat.

  Rika looked surprised. "How do you know my father?"

  "Because we purchased the company. Laushire bought out your father's software, don't you remember?" Kendra opened her laptop again, scrolling through something. A moment later, she spun it around, displaying a news article from a business journal. Alden leaned in close to read the headline, something about a major software company acquisition. "We actually met at that party, though I'm not surprised you don't recall. You were only twelve at the time."

  "Well, he's missing," Rika said. "I've gotta find him."

  "You don't sound particularly concerned," Kendra observed. Alden mentally agreed. Rika might as well have been talking about a missing pen.

  "I'm not. Just need to talk to him. In person."

  "You're looking for access to a reader, then." Kendra snapped the laptop shut again and set it aside. "That'll cost."

  "I have money."

  "I have more. Currency isn't holding much sway for my ventures. It's back to the barter system."

  Rika glanced at her bag. "Don't think I have anything that you'd want."

  "Let's not pretend, Rika. You've got a Scrap."

  At Kendra's words, Rika's posture shifted subtly. She was on the defensive, which sent Alden into a panic. If Rika felt threatened, what was he supposed to do without any real capabilities of his own?

  Suddenly having access to magic was a bit more tempting. Still terrifying, but Alden was starting to feel like he was going to need it before this adventure was through.

  "Rachel told you?" Rika accused.

  "Your friend remains loyal, fear not. No, I happened to find out through other more… sophisticated means."

  "You've got some new reader, then. Someone who knows how to find Scraps?"

  "Something like that," Kendra said with a glint in her eye.

  "Better not let that get widely known," Rika shot back pointedly. "You might be powerful, but the entire fucking town would come after you for that little trick."

  Kendra relaxed back into her chair, folding her arms. "I can handle the town. They couldn't run me out of the country," she added pointedly. Rika's face glowed red. "Back to business, then. I wouldn't dream of asking to keep it, but in exchange for letting me read, I'd be willing to sell my reader's services."

  "Just like that?" Rika asked skeptically.

  "No need to get complicated."

  "What if your reader doesn't come up with anything?"

  "Naturally, I'd pay first," Kendra said dismissively. "There's no real way to hold your payment in escrow, since you clearly don't trust anyone, so I'll have to hold you up to your end of the bargain. Agreed?"

  "Hang on. Toss in natural twin lizard eggs."

  "For Ryan, I presume?" Kendra's eye twinkled, a smile widening on her face. Rika nodded. "I can do that. Consider your debt to him cleared."

  Rika held out a hand, which Kendra shook firmly. Alden was pleased to note her small jump of surprise upon touching Rika's skin. He wasn't the only one.

  "Now," Kendra continued, turning to face Alden. "You're not awakened, nor have you any magical abilities or knowledge whatsoever, am I correct?"

  "No," Alden answered shakily. Her gaze was penetrating, like she already knew anything he might say. He felt himself begin to shrink before her, and his eyes sank lower instinctively. A foot nudged his own. Rika was trying to be supportive, and it worked. Even backup he barely knew was something.

  "I'm also looking for someone," he started, "but I don't know who they are."

  "Not even a gender?" Kendra noted observantly.

  "No," Alden replied. He steeled himself before continuing. This is the reason you started this whole adventure. "I've felt like someone was missing for a while now, but I couldn't put my finger on it. My mom and dad think I'm crazy, my sister doesn't believe me. No one else has any clue what I'm talking about. But I know someone was there. Someone related to me." He took a deep breath before continuing. "A sibling, probably older."

  "How can you be so sure?" Kendra asked with interest. Rika, too, was watching him with intense curiosity. He felt a wave of discomfort wash through him like an unpleasant hot liquid sloshing down his throat.

  Keep talking, he reminded himself. Just keep talking.

  "There's a room in my house we never use, even though it's as big as a bedroom. It's just empty, a few cardboard boxes but we don't even use it to store anything. There's an extra car, but my sister can't drive yet, so it just sits on the side of the house unused. We have extra books no one seems to have bought, pens and pencils no one ever uses. One more laptop than people in the house. It's like there's an entire person who just vanished," Alden trailed off, feeling a bit more uncertain. His list of evidence wasn't exactly foolproof.

  "But only you recognize the irregularity," Kendra prompted.

  "Even I didn't notice it until recently. A couple months ago, when I found this." With that, he reached into his coat pocket and finally produced the object of his obsession for the last two months.

  "An envelope?" Rika said dryly, unimpressed.

  "May I see it?" Kendra asked, extending a hand. Reluctantly, Alden handed it over. She turned it over a few times, examining it closely before remarking, "This is from the university."

  "It's an acceptance letter envelope. The exact same as mine, it's got the congratulations stamp on the front and everything, and dated and addressed to my house. But… there's no one who could have received it. My sister's only fourteen."

  "Not exactly a smoking gun," Rika commented.

  "When I showed it to my parents, they acted like I wasn't even holding anything. My sister Meg just brushed it off too. After I had the envelope, I started noticing all the other things. I made sure to keep it on me all the time since. I assumed they were just covering everything up until about six hours ago, then I found out magic is real and… yeah," Alden finished, the speech he'd preparing to give for so long finally out in the open.

  He felt relief, but also the huge weight of apprehension crushing down on him quite suddenly. What if neither of them believed him? What if he was just crazy after all? They knew far more about magic than he did. Maybe he was insane. All of this was insane, though. They had to believe him.

  "It's an… interesting theory," Kendra started slowly. "I won't say it's impossible. God knows what is now. But why you?"

  "What?"

  "Something like this can't be easy," Rika chimed in. "They'd have to be crazy smart and dedicated to totally wipe someone out. If that's even possible."

  "Precisely," Kendra continued. "So you've made an enemy. A dangerously precise and knowledgeable enemy, and in our world knowledge is truly akin to power." She offered the envelope back to Alden, who took it gratefully. "I don't know what I can do for you, Zack. I'm sorry. If you'd like, I can go through the university's records for applications around the date of that envelope, but I doubt your foe would miss something so simple."

  "Please," Alden asked.

  "I must ask though, in strictest confidence of course, for your real name if I'm to make any headway."

  Alden glanced at Rika, who shrugged. "She's probably trustworthy, if anyone is in this fucking town."

  "Is that really necessary?" Kendra asked exasperatedly.

  "It's been a rough day," Rika shot back.

  As if on cue, the door in the kitchen banged open again. Alden suddenly realized that the door they'd come in through was the only one on the exterior, so the kitchen door must lead elsewhere. Back into the real world?

  Kendra seemed surprised, at any rate. Meanwhile, a series of thumps on the stairs preceded a dripping wet Lily rushing to the kitchen, barely holding a towel around herself as she went. Alden turned away, trying to show some measure of respect. To his surprise, Rika did as well, leaving them both staring at the wall next to the front door away from the kitchen. Rika raised an eyebrow at him and grinned, miming holding something large and round in both hands.

  Alden's face lit up red a few moments later, turning his gaze the other direction. Rika barely suppressed her cackling.

  Behind them, they could hear Lily speaking urgently and quietly, while someone else moved around. Alden only had to wonder a few moments before the intruder's voice joined in, loud and distinctly young.

  "Natalie?" Alden mouthed to Rika, who nodded.

  "Nat, you know you're not supposed to come in here when the lamp's green," Lily's voice echoed from the kitchen.

  "I saw him! They were taking him away! They had him! You have to help!" Natalie was hysterical, her voice reaching a shriek.

  "Nat, please. Nat! Calm down!" Lily was getting louder as well.

  "Natalie, if you can't calm yourself we can't help you," Kendra's firm voice joined the fray.

  Alden had heard enough. He turned and walked into the kitchen, doing his best to avoid Lily, who seemed to have completely forgotten the towel in her haste to calm Natalie down. He crouched down in front of the soaking wet Natalie, her pink jacket dripping all over the floor of the kitchen, and held her hand.

  For whatever reason, he'd always been good with little kids, although he had no idea why. Natalie wasn't exactly that young, but young enough that she could still break down easily. Alden found that patience and listening intently usually worked, at least for him. Kids just seemed to like him. Alden generally couldn't stand kids, but he wanted to make a good impression on Kendra and Lily if they were going to be helping him.

  A minute later, Natalie was beginning to calm down, as he still held her hand firmly.

  "Natalie, what happened? Tell me everything, okay?" he said calmly.

  "My dad," Natalie said between sniffles. She was crying, but at least she'd stopped wailing. "Out in the forest, I was with Scrappy. I saw him with another man, they were fighting. Then the other man said something, and he just stopped. Then they both walked away."

  "And this other man took him?" Alden asked. It didn't sound like a kidnapping to him.

  "Yes!"

  "Chap's been missing for days," Lily added, sitting herself next to Natalie and hugging her, finally draping the towel around like a blanket to cover them both as best she could. "No one had seen him. Nat's been terrified."

  "I'm not scared!" Natalie said, wiping away a tear. "Me and Scrappy are gonna go get him back!"

  "Out in the forest? Up north?" Rika asked from the doorway with interest. Everyone looked up at her.

  "Huh?" Natalie asked.

  "The one behind the train station, Nat," Lily explained.

  "Oh, yeah. That one," Natalie nodded emphatically.

  "I'll find him," Rika said coolly.

  "We can pay you—" Lily started, but Rika held up her hand.

  "Kendra already knows what I want." She looked Alden in the eye. "You in, Zack?"

  A split-second before he realized he was going to regret it, Alden nodded.