Infinity in Pieces- Open Novella Contest 2021

He's Not Dead

"So you think Atlus is behind this?" Rosie asked incredulously. "He's been dead for thousands of years."

"But nobody ever confirmed his death. We just assumed he died when Adanna did. But what if he didn't?" Nik's face was animated, his eyes glowing at the possibility that a long-dead primordial being was behind something that was just a freak accident.

She sighed, a long, drawn-out sound. "Okay, say he's alive and plotting revenge for Adanna magically locking him up for a few millennia. Why would he, someone capable of creating the first dimension from nothing, attack us? Adanna has been dead for thousands of years. We know that for a fact. Why now? Why us?"

"Those are all very good questions. I don't have the answers to any of them, but those are good questions." She could hear voices down the hall, and Nik snapped the book closed. "If anyone asks, I was reading you a bedtime story, yeah?" He hurriedly exited the room, only stopping to say, "Bye, Rosie. See you later," before sailing through the door as smoothly as he had come in.

Rosie was only alone for a few minutes before her parents arrived. Along with her grandmother, grandfather, two of her aunts, and three little cousins. The room shrank, everyone talking over each other, laughing and hugging and completely unaware about what had happened at the docks today other than that Rosie was in the infirmary. Her grandmother let out a piercing whistle, and everyone stopped talking immediately, all eyes snapping to where Rosie was laying on the bed. "Ah, querida, what a state you're in," her grandmother said as she pinched Rosie's cheek. "We brought you food, and Teresa brought you some clothes and your stuffing bear."

"Thank you, grandma." One of her aunts, Tia Teresa, placed a bag on the hard wooden seat near her bed, and two little cousins with pigtails and dimples carefully set down a covered tray on the little table next to her bed. They scampered back dutifully to their smiling mother, Tia Viviane, and she laughed as she explained that if they had dropped the food they wouldn't be able to play soccer for a week.

Her father finally spoke up. "Rosie, we brought up your suggestion to some other Guardians, and we decided that it's a good idea for you to go. Your Madre and I aren't thrilled that you're going off into the universe without us, but you did well today, and if those beasts come back, you won't be here for it. You'll be initiated in a few months, and we think it's a good idea for you to have some practical experience." He saw her face light up, and quickly added, "With a chaperone, of course! You'll need another Guardian to help you jump an entire ship like that, no matter how skilled you are at jumping dimensions yourself."

"Oh Papai! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed in excitement. "I want to hug you, but my arms hurt too much for that." She could go on the mission! She could do something to actually help, instead of sitting on the sidelines and hoping the adults would take care of it.

"The ship is leaving in about three days, so you'll be discharged the morning the ship leaves," her mother said. "You should only need to make two jumps- Henri has already started plotting the course- and you should be there by the end of the fourth day. No funny business or taking the scenic route, anjinho. The Council needs answers, and it's your job to get Kova Levosi's crew there and back safely. You understand?" Her mother's dark eyes were locked on hers, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Yes, Madre," she replied. Eventually, everyone left, and she was left alone with her thoughts again. Three days until she could leave. Three days until she could do something that might place her in history alongside people that did great things. Three days until she could make a contribution that lasted, that marked her as someone worth her ambitions.