12) Imogene

She was waiting for me when I got home.

“Great, another visitor. How are they getting my address?”

The ride share guy, Glenn, asked me if I wanted him to keep driving, but I was too worried about the underaged girl dressed up in cosplay sitting on my front porch. "No, I'm good."

The girl sat up as I got out of the car. Writhing her hands together in front of her in nervousness.

She looked to be barely over five foot in height and with the skinny build of a young woman who hadn't filled out yet. Dark blond hair braided back to keep it out of her eyes looked a little Asian around her eyes and the shape of her face.

Her clothes were mainly in shades of green, and almost Robin Hood like, but real looking rather than like something from the older movies.

As she stood, the tall metal staff with dozens of various colored gems, and rune like marks engraved in it floated from where it had been leaning next to my door to hover by her side until she gave it a distracted wave to send it back to float behind her made me begin to realize that she wasn't dressed in cosplay.

I stopped about ten feet from her and regarded her in silence, letting her decide how to start the conversation.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t able to master dimensional magic well enough to get here until many years after our mother had died of age. She missed you terribly and asked me to send you her love.”

As I dropped my bag, I realized she had turned her eyes to the ground and braced herself for me to… Yell, scream, hit her? Whatever she expected the sound of my bag hitting the ground made her flinch.

It was too much, I think I said something to her like, “Wait here.” Then I turned and walked away.

The sun was setting by the time I had come back to myself.

I realized I was sitting on the banks of a creek that ran through a gully a half mile or so from my house. Looking around, I saw the girl sitting a bit up the side of the gully.

The girl, my sister, appeared to have not listened to my instruction to wait. Well, at least she was like Mom in that, but she had also brought along my bag which she was holding in her arms in front of her, looking as lost as I felt.

“I have questions.”

She looked up, and for a moment she looked hopeful before she made her face look blank.

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Why is she here? If her world moves so fast that Mom died of old age in just two months, my sister has to be losing years just to talk to me.

“What’s your name.”

She blushed a little and reached up to check on her hair. “Imogene. Imogene Hy Brenner.”

I nodded at her. “My, our, grandmother’s name. How long did Mom last.”

“One hundred and eight years, but ours are shorter, I think she was a hundred and thirty two in Earth years when she let herself pass.”

I teased out Mom’s story from her in short, shy sentences.

Imogene's world, The Endless Realm, has dozens of races, none of them human, but healers were a rarity that was called into the service of the churches as soon as they were born. Bringing an adult healer with a deep distrust of religion had been the goal of the ritual which pulled my Mom to their world.

As none of the races there could have children with each other, Imogene was a surprise to everyone involved.

She seemed pretty sad as she mentioned that, I decided she needed a break, and my butt was getting cold sitting on the damp ground. Besides, the polluted creek didn't smell all that great either.

“Let’s head back to the house.”

It was a bit of a struggle to get my bag back from her, when I did she clutched onto her staff instead. Had it floated behind her all the way out here as she followed me in my daze?

She froze up at the end of the front walk to the house for a moment, when I looked back to give her a raised eyebrow, she looked down suddenly. "There wasn't anything there for me after Mom passed. Me… just me existing upset them."

I walked over as she looked up in fright, and hugged her hard enough to make her let out an "Ouff" sound. Damn, there was nothing to her, and unlike the Psudo Elves of White Tree she felt was putting out some heat. I guess her father's kind ran hot, which meant sitting on the cold ground on the side of the gully could not have been all that much fun for her.

“You’re home Imogene. You’re with family.”

As I held the silently crying girl clutching desperately to me, I got what I could only call a suspicious look from the metal staff pinned between us.

Yeah. I don’t know for sure If this girl is for real or playing a con on me. I almost hope this is some sort of game she’s playing since that would mean my Mom might still be alive. That I may see her again someday.

But if she is for real, then she is all alone in two worlds, the child of my mother. She is family and this is her home.

Patting her back, I twisted myself free and awkwardly walked her inside the house. Sitting her down on the couch, I sat next to her, squirmed a bit as she leaned into me clutched onto my arm, and dialed up the local pizza place. "You don't have dietary issues, do you? Meat, cheese, tomato sauce."

She shook her head and spoke so softly I could barely hear her. "I've never had a problem with anything."

Feeding her seemed to bring her around into the chattiness I would expect of a girl her age, except her age was nearly twice mine.

She looked smug when I mentioned that. "I guess that makes me the older sister."

I grimaced and then smirked. "But in Earth years you're only two months old. I'm sure I can find some diapers for you."

She scrunched down in her chair in order to reach me with her foot to kick me under the table.

Brat. “Act your age.”

She stuck her tongue out at me.

We talked for a while, but between a big meal, crossing over from another universe, and going through an emotional wringer, she was ready to conk out.

I insisted she take my room, but by the time I got back from putting clean sheets on it, she was passed out on the couch.

The staff followed along closely behind me as I carried her to bed, took off her boots, and loosened up her belt before pulling the sheet over her. Then it stretched out beside her on the bed.

I would have given her Mom’s room, but it would need to be cleaned out.

For the life of me, I don’t know if I should clear out all of Mom’s stuff that would remind her that our Mother was gone, or have her help me so the girl could look at each and everything that had belonged to Mom.

Looking into my Mom’s room, I was reminded that I hadn’t touched the place in months. Even before she was taken, I had left the place to gather dust after she went into the hospital for the last time.

For the moment, I think I was just going to sit on the edge of her bed and not think for a while, at least until I let my hind brain process things for a bit and I was ready to sort out my thoughts on the blog.

I’m not ready to say goodbye.