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We returned to the throne room and were alone.
“I know that this is incredibly difficult for you. It was my hope that we would have you back home before you realized anything was different, but I suppose that horse has bolted. I think you should come over here and take a look at this,” she moved towards the window and gestured for me to join her. My brow crinkled as I joined her, my eyes widening as I looked out at the view ahead of us. The sky was vast and gorgeous, looking iridescent as parts of it glittered as the light from the sun poured down upon it. The country was not like anything I had ever seen. There was a vast plain, which led into lush fields, and it almost seemed segmented, as though every type of terrain was located here. In the distance there were icy mountains cloaked in mist.
“What is this place?” I asked. “This can’t be in America, can it?” I wondered if I should have paid more attention to geography. Maybe there were some natural wonders right on our doorstep.
“That could require some explaining. You need to think a little bit bigger than America.”
“Bigger? I don’t understand.”
Kara pinched the bridge of her nose and frowned. She exhaled deeply. “I was really hoping that I wouldn’t have to have this conversation. Damn those boys,” she muttered under her breath. “This is going to be easier if I know your name.”
“Emilia,” I said without thinking, then cursed myself for giving away personal information.
“Okay Emilia,” Kara put her hands together and began pacing back and forth as I continued to gaze out of the window. It was so vivid it looked like a watercolor painting. I wanted to reach out and touch it, expecting my fingers to press against a canvas. “So, this is going to sound strange to you and you’re probably not going to believe it. Do you consider yourself an open-minded person?”
“I guess so.”
“Good, so I’m just going to come out and say it. You’re not on Earth any longer.”
I tilted my head to the side, unsure if I had actually heard her properly. “What do you mean I’m not on Earth?” I laughed as I spoke. This surely must have been a joke.
“Well, I’ll try and make it as simple as possible. Think of our world, and then think of other worlds that might exist. Now these worlds are all attached with string, not in reality of course, but it just helps the mind to understand. It took me a good while to get it all straight in my head. Anyway, this string goes from one world to the other, and if we can find that string, we can travel along it and emerge in another world, which is what happened to you, and here you are.”
“You mean I’m in another world?”
Kara nodded and smiled.
I laughed again and turned to her, and then back to the scenery outside. Everything inside me told me this was wrong, that this was impossible, and yet what other explanation could there be? Was there a human trafficking group that treated their victims like this? It did not make any sense at all. I was taken back to the moment when Mom had confronted me with the evidence that Dad had been cheating on her. Even though I had the proof right in front of me there was still a small part that wanted to deny it, that wanted to bury my head in the sand because it was comfortable and convenient.
The truth never worried about things like that though.
I licked my lips as I braced myself to accept this new truth.
“Okay, so you’re telling me that I’m in some other world, so… how did I get here?” I asked.
“My son brought you here. He and I have the ability to travel between worlds.”
“Right… and you all just happen to know English?”
“Well, I’ve always spoken it,” she laughed lightly and when it became clear that I wasn’t understanding what she was trying to say, she explained it clearly. “I’m from Earth too.”
“So, you’re from Earth, but the rest of these people aren’t, and your sons were just, what, taking a vacation?”
“They like seeing the place where I grew up. But yes, I was born there and then I found my place here. I had ancestors who came from this place, so it was a little like returning home. This is where I belong.”
Great. Here it comes. “Right, so now you’re going to try and tell me that this is where I belong as well? I don’t know what you’re smoking, but I’m not sure I buy any of this.”
“No, no you have it all wrong. I’m not trying to convince you of anything. I promise that we’re going to let you leave. It’s just… oh this is complicated. I really wasn’t going to tell you all of this but I suppose it’s only fair that you know the truth, considering you didn’t exactly choose to come here. Hopefully if you can accept the truth about different worlds then you can accept the truth about this as well,” Kara took a moment to compose herself before she continued. “So, there are people on Earth who are different from others and who have special abilities. They come from this place, which is called Orestes. Now, it’s nothing to be scared of, but basically, we can change into lions.”
“Lions?”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re familiar with werewolves. It’s like that, but just a little bit different.”
I was about to shake my head and dismiss this all as some bad fever dream. But then I remembered what I had seen before I blacked out. I had put it down to my injuries, but if what she was saying was true then I really had seen lions.
“So, your sons…”
“Everyone here is a lion, aside from you,” Kara said gently. I nodded slowly and tried my best not to panic. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I hope you understand that I’m only telling you this so that you can see we’re not intending to do you any harm. What I’ve just told you is a sacred secret. I can’t tell you how many years I spent trying to hide my true nature from normal humans.”
