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There’s also another city in the distance, one that looks like a mirage come to life.
“That’s the Sand Domain,” Bebe explains. “Kojo’s favorite.”
She takes a leisurely step forward but somehow ends up miles away from us.
I step forward as I would in the real world and end up next to Bebe.
Forget realism. It’s actually possible the Escapists go out of their way to defy it.
The next room’s windows must look out onto the Snow or Winter Domain, on account of all the frozen wilderness and the city made of ice in the distance. After that, we’re back in the Water Domain, swimming in a “room” the size of Manhattan.
“This is the living room,” Bebe says two rooms later. The view out of the window here is that of breathtaking volcanoes.
Is this the Seismic Domain? Through several enormous windows, I can see a floating city in the clouds, right in the path of volcanic eruptions that don’t seem to harm it one bit.
But not all windows are see-through here.
Some of them are black.
Interesting.
“Bebe,” says a child’s voice. “You’re back!”
My niece appears in front of us not unlike Pom sometimes does. Her adorable curls defy gravity, making the top of her head look like a perfect sphere. On the very top of the hairdo is a tiara with diamonds so big a royal family would kill to possess it, and a few inches above the tiara hovers what looks like a halo, but in the shape of an infinity symbol.
“Hi, honey,” Bebe says, smiling at her. “Where’s Mommy and Daddy?”
Chloe closes her eyes for a second, then grins as she opens them. “Now they know you’re here.”
Does she not see the rest of us?
I wave a hand.
No reaction.
“Thank you,” Bebe says. “How are things going?”
Still ignoring us, Chloe takes off her tiara and bites into it, gleefully crunching on a large diamond and some of the metal. “I’m studying elliptic geometry.”
“And?” Bebe asks.
The missing piece of the tiara grows back, and Chloe puts it back on her head. “On a sphere, the sum of the angles of a triangle is not equal to one hundred and eighty degrees.” As she speaks, a large sphere appears in front of us, with a triangle outlined.
“That’s right,” Bebe says, nodding approvingly. “And, if memory serves, there are no parallel lines.”
I scratch my head, and that seems to finally draw my niece’s attention.
“Such strange constructs,” she says, looking at me and Maxwell. “She looks identical to Mommy, and that man also shares a few of her features. But that last one”—her gaze shifts to Valerian—“doesn’t look like her at all. Is it an art project?”
“They’re not constructs.” Bebe playfully pinches Chloe’s cheek. “They’re real people.”
My niece’s amber eyes widen. “Newbies?”
“Even better,” Bebe says. “They’re guests.”
Now we have Chloe’s complete and undivided attention, especially me. “Why did you decide to look like Mommy?” she asks, examining me like a bug under a microscope. “Do you admire her that much?”
I give Bebe a questioning look. Is saying “I’m your aunt” considered unpleasant information that we’re supposed to avoid in this world? Or is the unpleasant info bit only meant for any non-family Escapists?
Two new people poof into existence between us and the girl.
My pulse leaps.
It’s my twin and her husband, Kojo, both also with infinity halos above their heads—must be an Escapist thing.
Smiling at Bebe, Asha looks everyone over curiously, her gaze lingering on me.
“Nice choice of face.” Her voice sounds just like mine, only a little uncanny in the way voice recordings are. “What do you really look like?”
Bebe’s eyes are misty as she steps forward and clasps my twin’s hands. “Asha… I want you to meet your father and twin sister.”
Chapter Nineteen
Chloe’s mouth slackens, Kojo’s eyes widen, and Asha is blinking so fast her lashes look in danger of falling off.
“Father?” my twin repeats, her gaze darting between me and Maxwell as she twists out of our grandmother’s hold. “Sister?”
Bebe solemnly nods.
My throat feels swollen and tight, so I just stand there, taking in Asha’s reactions.
A diamond throne appears behind her, and she sags into it.
Kojo steps forward, recovering from shock. “Valerian. Long time no see.”
That’s right. They were besties.
Valerian claps him on the shoulder, and they embrace while Asha darts a glance at one of the black windows. “Why don’t I remember them? Did I lock them away?” You can almost hear the unasked, “And why?”
My throat tightens further. On some level, I was hoping that seeing each other would unlock the memories we seem to be missing, but I guess no such luck.
“I told you about them,” Bebe says. “You must’ve locked those conversations away.”
The throne disappears as Asha pushes up to her feet. “I don’t understand. How can this be real?”
“I remember Bailey, hon,” Kojo says, turning toward her. “And your father. I also told you about them…”
