Worlds Apart

Chapter 5

The next day, Jason told me I needed to talk to the king.
"What if he decides to behead me or something?" I questioned, pacing back and forth in my room. "I need to get back home!"
"Ava, I'm not going to let him kill you," Jason said, an exasperated tone in his voice.
I smiled sheepishly. "Thanks. Besides, if he was going to kill me, he already would have done it, right?"
Jason grinned. "C'mon, I'll protect you," he teased.
Hand in hand, we went downstairs to meet the King of Athosia.
"Jason, Ava, thank you for coming." he eyed me warily. "I was hoping to talk to you yesterday, but somebody took you somewhere else."
"Sorry, dad." Jason shot him a meek smile.
"It's fine. But, Jason, did you get the book from Peter like I requested?"
He nodded. "This morning... Should I go get it?"
"Yes, please do."
Jason darted up the stairs, disappearing from our view.
"So, Ava, what is Earth exactly?" The king leaned slightly forward in his chair.
"It's a beautiful planet. Well, some parts," I giggled, thinking of the contrast between Hawaii and Antarctica.
"So, how did you get here exactly?"
I shrugged. "To be honest, I was just standing in my bedroom and lights began flashing. I wound up in a pitch black room, and there was a voice that helped me by whispering where to go. Then I found a strange light source, touched it, and ended up just outside of your kingdom."
His brows furrowed, a dubious look on his face. "That's mighty queer. Maybe..." he trailed off.
Jason bounded down the stairs, carrying an especially large, ancient-looking book.
"What's that?" I enquired, pointing to the book.
He ignored me, biting his lip anxiously. He handed the book to the king. "Dad, I think I know what's going on. Turn to page 781."
The king flipped to the page marked 781, and as he skimmed it with his eyes, he gasped. "It can't be," he rasped, his eyes growing larger.
"What!" I exploded. "What are you guys talking about?"
"It's you, Ava." Jason grabbed the book, and held it out for me to see. "There's a picture of you."
"But..? How can it be?"
Jason stared at me solemnly. "You're the only one who can save us, Ava."