When Alex opened her eyes, the wall in front of her had contorted so that there was a glowing pad before her. Seemed simple enough. Alex placed the black rod on the pad, which turned light pink before transporting the rod. Then the pad sucked itself back in.
Abby turned around onscreen, looking over her shoulder. “Okay, looks like I got it. Anything you can tell me about it?”
Alex wrapped her feet in the blankets lying on the floor. “Not really. All I know is that a giant aimed it at me and it shut down all my gear. I couldn’t even hold onto my dragon.”
Abby held the black rod up to the screen. “I can see why that would have you worried. I’ll take a look at it and call you if I figure anything out. It was nice seeing you again.”
“Thanks for taking a look for me. And it was good to see you again.”
Abby waved quickly, and the video cut out. Back to her little room of isolation. She decided to read a bit more and see if there was something in the Jung book to help her. It was easier to understand, but most of the information was way above Alex’s head. There was nothing more boring than trying to educate yourself when you were trapped.
Alex decided to take a break. She leaned close to the wall, imagining a large iced soda and a cheeseburger with extra onions and pickles. The hole coughed the food up, and Alex sat down on the floor to eat while she wrote a letter to her parents.
Since arriving back from the last mission within the meteor, Alex hadn’t spoken with her folks much, not after reassuring them that she was alive and well. Finding time to write a letter with her class load and training was hard enough. That, coupled with not wanting to give her parents any cause to worry, was enough to put Alex off writing a letter. There was no way she was going to tell them she’d lost an arm.
That brought up the question of what they needed to know. Alex did not like thinking about communicating with her parents in that way. It felt dishonest, like a double life, but what other choice did she have? Her mom and dad weren’t military like Jim’s parents. They had been reluctant to let her come to Middang3ard to begin with. If they found out how much danger she was in, they’d probably demand that she come back home.
Could Alex even go home? The criteria for her service had never been explicitly stated. From what she could tell, everyone who had been helping Myrddin had been doing it for a long time, but it didn’t seem like he was keeping anyone here contractually.
Alex figured it was because people believed what they were doing mattered. The Dark One’s mind, or at least part of it, had been laid open to Alex. There was no way she could go back to living a regular life with that thing out there.
Once Alex started writing, the information her parents needed to know flowed out.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Sorry it’s taken me so long to write to you. I’ve been really busy. Like, you have no idea how busy. Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with all the military stuff, but here are some of the highlights.
So, you should know because I’m going to keep talking about it. Jim and I went on a date. Now, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, but before you ask, Mom, it was soooooo magical. And before you ask, Dad, he was a perfect gentleman.
There were fairies and a picnic and everything. It was nice to hang out with another human. Not that I don’t like hanging out with everyone, but it gets a little lonely, not being able to talk about TV or junk like that sometimes. Look at me, right, talking to people about TV. Now that I can see, I watch TV. Who would have thought? Between you and me, I wasn’t missing much.
Other than that, things have been pretty exciting. I’m doing well in my studies, and the missions I’ve been on have all been successful. I have my own team and everything. Also, my roommate is amazing. She’s a pixie and a little spitfire. I think you both would love her. But anyway, let me know how you guys are doing? I know we can have visitors here if you ever want to see what my new home is like. Let me give you a heads up: it is very weird. Send me a chunky letter to read! Seriously.
I love you both so much,
Alex
She considered telling her dad about the alien but decided against it. Not now, not until they knew more about who or what the creature was.
Once Alex was done with the letter, she emailed it to her parents.
Alex checked the time. It was still pretty early in the evening, but the cheeseburger had put her in a food coma. Sleep was coming for her, regardless. She didn’t complain, though. The last few days had been exhausting, and she still didn’t feel like she’d gotten a decent night’s sleep.
And it was nice, not hearing Jollies’ snoring. Alex still didn’t understand how such a small pixie was able to produce so much noise.
Alex grabbed the pillows and blankets off the floor and tossed her leftovers into the wall’s hole. Then she cuddled up on the bench, snuggling her face into the pillow until she could hardly breathe and her face was hot.
That was how she drifted to sleep.
The earth was soft. Something was chirping, she didn’t know what. The inside of her mouth was as soft as velvet, learning itself, the back of her teeth soft and malleable.
Alex’s hands reached up out of the earth. She’d been buried but did not know by whom or where.
