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“Well, it’s not like anyone is going to believe me anyway,” I muttered.
“I promise you it will just take a little time. Have some food and relax and then we’ll get you home,” she said as the elevator opened. I looked around and saw the other boy who had been bathing. I scowled at him as he approached. He carried a tray of food and placed it on the table near me. There was a flask of water as well.
“Ah, Naaro, good. This is Emilia. Emilia, this is my son, Naaro. I need to leave for a short while to make arrangements for your journey back to Earth.” She turned towards Naaro. “Please watch over her until I return.”
I sullenly looked at the food. I had always read that you shouldn’t take anything your captors offer you because it makes you look weak, but I was so hungry and tired I could not resist. I wolfed down the meat and gorged myself on the water, and my stomach was thankful for it. This was all so much to take in, but I told myself that as long as I could get through whatever was coming next then I could make it home. If this was real then it was the craziest thing I had ever heard, and if it wasn’t then… well… I just had to hope that they would hold true to their promise of taking me home.
Chapter Six
Naaro
I stood there, feeling uneasy. There she was, standing before me, looking even more beautiful now that she was up and animated than she had been before. But she was angry. I could smell the mixture of fear and frustration. I wished that there was something I could do or say to make her feel better, but I had never been good in these situations. I had trained to fight, not to speak. Divad had always been my superior in these situations. She caught me looking at her. My eyes darted away, but it was too late. She was glaring at me.
“You know, next time you come across a girl who has been knocked out there are other options than bringing them back to another world. There’s a thing called hospitals; you know? Hell, you could have just left me on a bench somewhere in a city,” she said.
“I didn’t think that was responsible. There was blood. I was worried,” I said, dipping my head in shame.
She sighed and threw her hands in the air. “I guess you had good intentions. There are plenty of guys out there who would have… hell… can you please promise me that I’m going to be taken home though? I have a life back there. I have… people who are waiting for me,” her voice caught as she said this.
“Of course. It was never our intention to keep you here against your will. We were supposed to take you back to Earth before you woke up.”
“So, I would have woken up with an ache in my head and no idea how it happened?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. And now I have to go back with the knowledge that these other worlds exist and there are people who can turn into lions and I really feel as though I should be freaking out right about now. I can’t understand why I’m not. I suppose it’s the only way I can keep my sanity. How am I supposed to go back to Earth with this knowledge? If I tell anyone they’re going to think I’m crazy. I’m me, and I still think I’m crazy!”
“I’m sorry.”
She gave me a lingering stare and then she seemed to soften. “Well, while I’m here you might as well tell me about your people,” she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.
“I should not speak about it. I could get in trouble.”
“You brought me back here. Something tells me you’re a bit of a risk taker Naaro,” she arched an eyebrow suggestively and wore a playful smirk. I wanted to keep her smiling, so I indulged her. Since Mom had told her the truth anyway, I didn’t see that there was any harm in it.
“Our ancestors set out many generations ago to explore various worlds. Some of them stayed behind and continued our legacy there.”
“Like on Earth?”
“Exactly. But the ability to travel between worlds is rare, and has only returned to Orestes with Mom, and my brother, Divad.”
“I see. So… what’s it like to be a lion?”
I tilted my head and furrowed my brow. “I don’t understand the question.”
“Come on, you must have some kind of story to tell. You live in this place, you travel between worlds, and you can turn into a lion. You can’t expect me to leave without giving me something to think about. It’s not like I’m going to be able to speak about this with anyone, and I’m never going to be back here,” she said.
I saw her point, and since I felt guilty enough about bringing her here, I thought I should oblige. Of course, I never thought she would be in such distress to the point where she would try and flee from the tower, but the damage was done and I had to try and make up for it.
“I’m not entirely sure how to answer the question, but I shall try and explain it as best I can. It is like there is some force inside me that is always there to guide me, and that I can call on no matter what. It is like a companion that I can count on, and that always wants to break free. When I release it there is no sweeter feeling. It is such a relief. I feel stronger, faster, and the world becomes brighter. It is something that I can’t live without, and I pity anyone who does not experience the same thing.”
“Well, I’ll take your pity home with me,” she said sharply, her voice dripping with acid. I caught myself and tried to correct myself, but it was already too late. I don’t know how I always had a tendency to say the wrong things, but they slipped out of my mouth without warning and there was never a way to shove them back in. I couldn’t think straight around her, and it unnerved me.
“So, are you going to show me?” she asked.
“Show you?”
“This transformation thing. I’ve come all this way; I might as well see what it’s all about. Come on, let’s see what you have,” she said, gesturing for me to shift.
