The Girls Guild Guide to Universe Hopping

I

Beatrice rarely lets us leave, if anyone finds out, she says. They may steal our findings, she says. It'll put us in jeopardy, she says. I'm not sure if she has told the NASA headquarters yet. We're working hundreds of levels below ground so I doubt anyone would come snooping around. Even if they did it wouldn't surprise me if she shot them. Luckily there's no one our level, there was, but they insisted we were too loud and they moved. Thank god, we'd be throwing all of them into an early grave if we had to. I left today, not permitted, but I had to get a letter to my dearest friend Lula. And what she returns with is shocking, horrifying even, and makes me think are being lied to... 

She says that Merida recently contacted my cousins, well by cousins they are my cousins friends. She is prisoner at Argore: one of the very few aggressive planets of the Crunchie universe. This puts Crunchie in peril as a whole. Unlike our universe, each of their planets have a human life form. Well something like humans. There are five planets, each a different blood type: the orange, known for strength but not mind. The blue bloods, the dominating planet, Merida's country. The green bloods, known for mind but not strength. The white and the purple, where the industry and agriculture take place. 

It's more like a body, take one part out and the rest falls. The locals have never survived without the help the royals. There isn't a royal family as such it's more of a governing body that provides, and is viewed as the head of, everything, really. However, Argore and Crunchie went to war thousands of years ago and from the rubble that scorched the earth two queens arose. Argore: Cordealia (Cord- EE- Leah) and Merida. Argore is oppressive and their guards shoot anyone that is traitor, there a smudge in the beauty. Evil amongst the good.

Harriet read it aloud and tells us how Merida was captured. She is trying to read from the letter, I don't quite understand her babbling so I go up and take it from her hand, smudging some oil on the back. We haven't cleaned for a while. The cousins say they know Merida, but they never knew she was from another universe, she looks exactly like us. Nut brown hair braided back, wide blue eyes that changed to navy in the sun. It's only just occurred to her that they act as sunglasses. Olive skin that turns pallid in sun, a supposed sun cream. She sent the letter in a rush, the handwriting is shaky and the ink at the end is pulled into a deadly smudge. They  tested the ink of the letter and supposed Merida was captured the previous night. They have, after much consideration, decided to go to Argore. 'Clouds and rain make her look normal, the sun makes her peculiar. It's convenient really considering we live in Britain. She will look normal most of the time. I can't believe we have been fooled.'

They went in with little planning and headed straight to the castle. They fought the guards and got injured on the way. Only a few gashes on the legs. You can only visit Argore on Halloween that's when the fog opens. The fog that they could barely navigate. It's thick and hot, you can only see two inches in front of you, its hostile. The serrated rocks could easily impale a solid object and it would rip a human to bits. Legend says that the queen of Argore can control the rocks and that's how she makes her renowned quick escapes. The sea is acidic and and you can't fly over and drop in because they have planted guard towers with massive guns every mile.

They have come home to our universe and have temporarily set up on Mars. They have been back for a month. I turn around vex deluging me, "they've been her for a month and you didn't tell us." Beatrice looks at me uncomprehendingly and I stare back. My eyes still and cold. She gulps, she knows I could bound from here and leave a terrible mark on her face, "I didn't know how to."

I turn around my breathing more intensely now. They have completed the plan and thoroughly contemplated every aspect of the plan. They have even made a job of considering us in it, they don't want us to come. They don't want us to die more like. Clearly Beatrice hasn't been completely truthful with either of us. There leaving today, I look at the date and see this was sent three days ago. I roll my eyes at the ceiling. They say they hope we got the map they sent over. I spin on a heel and extend my arm, "the map." I ask Beatrice. I refuse to have her conceal anything else.

She hands me and old tatty thing.

It's got the layout of the universe and the planets. Argore is concealed by smoke and death. There criminals are sent into space and float around as a war to ward of invaders. Some say that  after the war you could barely see the fog with the amount of traitors they had. 

They say they have a copy of the map and are following it, they have sent another letter to us explaining the plan in detail. They need us for it to work. I turn around, my mind deluded by the letter, I suddenly feel weak with perplex. Harriet takes the letter from my gawping hand and reads it aloud. It drones on in my ear but everything is fuzzy. Cody's voice harshly drags me back into reality. "So what are we still standing here we have to go," he says trying to catch Beatrice's flickering eye line. I peer up at her, the boat is miraculous and ready to go. But this map isn't good enough, she knows that. 

"We need a better map," I say staring intently at the floor. This is how most conversations go, I'm not very good at talking to people. My ideas rarely get reflected, I never share them. Beatrices hand lays on my shoulder her normal colour masked by the dust from our work. She wants me to do something, she's never so gentle unless she's manipulating. She gets on one knee in front of me and asks me to time travel.