“What was that last part?” Tyson asked, unsure if he had heard Katie correctly.
Katie didn’t want to scare him but with all that was happening, he deserved to know. She explained, in detail, what had happened the night before and what her parents told her. Tyson was a very good listener and didn’t interrupt once.
“You don’t believe me,” Katie said.
“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t,” Tyson said. “But you wouldn’t be joking right now after what just happened. So, I believe that you believe it.”
They pulled up to Katie’s apartment and parked on the street. They passed the front desk manager, not without catching his attention at the state of Katie and Tyson’s clothes and his look of confusion.
When they got up to Katie’s floor, she paused at the door. It was slightly ajar. Something wasn’t right. Stepping in, Katie was met with a sight she could not have prepared for. Her parents’ pristine apartment no longer resembled what it once was. It was as if someone set off a bomb inside. Household bric-a-brac was scattered across the floor. Katie slowly walked deeper into the apartment, struggling to take in what she was seeing. Most of the lights were broken. All the paintings were demolished. She could hear water running from somewhere.
“What the hell?” Katie cried out and ran towards the kitchen, “Mom! Dad!”
The kitchen was a similar scene. Food was splattered on the tile; the refrigerator was knocked over and the dining table had been flipped and broken in two. There were burn marks on the cupboards.
Katie started frantically searching every room in the house. “Mom? Dad?” A stone grew in her stomach and she feared the worst.
Tyson followed her out of the kitchen and upstairs. The stairs were stained with a dark liquid and Katie hoped it wasn’t blood. One look at the wall confirmed that it was.
“I don’t think this is safe, Katie,” said Tyson cautiously.
Katie stared at the stain on the wall. “Whoever did this isn’t here anymore. Not alive, at least.”
Katie wasn’t sure how she knew that or if it was even true. They made their way down the hallway and passed her room. She walked into her parent’s room at the end of the hall and found her mother’s body sprawled across the bed. Her shirt was torn, blood was pooling under her head and her eyes were wide open.
“Mom!” Katie shouted out and ran to hug her mom’s still body. She ran her hand through her mother’s hair. It was damp with blood.
It was then that Katie started sobbing. Placing her head on her mother’s chest, she let the grief overtake her. “Mom,” she cried weakly. There was only silence. “Mom!” she shouted out, her choking voice resounding throughout the room.
She stayed there for what felt like hours, crying, with the occasional shout of sadness and despair. Tyson came over and put his arm around Katie. She hugged him back and buried her head in his chest. He squeezed her and rested his chin on her head.
Sometime after midnight, they heard a screech. For a moment, Katie thought she saw a flash of blue. She lifted her head and saw only a scrap of paper floating down in the air. It was smoking at its edges.
Tyson grabbed it and read it quickly.
“What the hell is this?” he asked and gave the paper to Katie.
Katie wasn’t listening. She was immersed in the piece of paper.
“Katie, there is no time. Your mother was killed by Sabrina and your father is currently contained in the Viscar Mountains. This is Nayara’s plan to destroy our world as we know it. It is time for your return to Narque to help us defeat her.”
“Viscar Mountains,” said Katie. “Where is that? It isn’t Earth, is it?”
“No,” Tyson said. “I’m guessing it’s in Narque.”
Katie suddenly remembered the map she drew. She leaped to her feet and ran downstairs.
“Katie!” Tyson shouted and followed her downstairs to the living room. He found Katie holding a scroll.
He placed it on the glass coffee table and unrolled it.
“What is this?” Tyson asked, looking at the intricate design.
“This is Narque,” Katie said. She pointed to a mountain range. “And those are the Viscar Mountains. This is what I was talking about. This is my world.”
“How do you know?” Tyson asked.
“I don’t know, I just do,” she replied. “I need to figure out how to get there.”
“I can help you with that.”
Katie and Tyson jumped at the sound of a new voice. They looked back. Standing in the doorway was a man with dark hair and a white stripe that ran across the left side of his head.
5
Cyrus Padrigian
Instinctively Tyson stepped in front of Katie to protect her. He eyed the man warily, which the man returned with a smug smile.
“How did you get in here?” Tyson asked him. The man only smiled even more smugly and held up a key.
“I have had this key since the day your family moved in here,” the man said, answering Tyson but addressing Katie. “John Dimes and I know each other quite well. Your mother was the one who introduced me to Earth.” He spoke with an almost English accent.
Katie had an odd feeling but couldn’t tell what it meant. She trusted the man but couldn’t explain why. Her mind gave her every reason not to trust him but something inside told her differently.
“Why don’t you prove it?” Tyson filled his voice with false bravado.
The man smiled again and took another step towards Tyson and Katie. Tyson twitched slightly, ready to defend himself and Katie.
“Do you intend to fight me with that map your girlfriend is holding?” The man chuckled. “I’m only here for Katie, so if you could give us the room.”
Tyson was about
