Paradise

Chapter Fourteen

We tumbled into my backyard, spilling through the grass at odd angles (which would have probably been hilarious had it not hurt so much) Finally I managed to stop myself by jamming the toe of my sneaker into the ground. I was on my feet quickly after that, reaching into the satchel, and whipping out the sheet-music to close the portal.

Although, clearly winded, my voice emerged just as flawless and beautiful as before. I guess, after all I'd been through, I should have expected this, but I still found it hard to accept....

The portal closed and I scrambled to grab the crystal in midair, but failed. It landed safely on a soft cushion of grass, and I toppled beside it, skinning my left knee on a protruding rock.

"Ugh!" I spat.

And you're back! My mind snickered. The fantasy is over. You can now return to your average life of downcast eyes and mumbled words.

"Not yet, I can't," I muttered, grabbing the crystal and getting back to my feet.

I turned to Ms. Albert (who was just now getting to her feet), and just stood there, staring. I knew what I wanted to say, but the problem lay in what to bring up first. On top of that, there was still so much I wanted to ask.

I watched her as she dusted off her dress suit, smoothed down her hair, and readjusted her glasses. The whole time it felt like my brain would explode from the ever-growing cluster of thoughts rapidly invading it. Finally, I gave a hard shrug, and blurted, "Just tell me what this is all about!" I hated how shrill my voice sounded, but I guess my newly-found singing ability compensated for that.

She looked at me coolly, the hint of a smile teasing the corners of her mouth. "I'm afraid I greatly misjudged you, Penny. You're a lot stupider than I thought."

"Hey!" I cried. "That's not very nice, you know?"

"You know what else isn't very nice?" she asked, an edge entering her voice. She snatched the satchel from me. "Being killed."

"Killed?" I echoed.

"Yes, Penny, killed," she snapped. "You're not invincible. It's still a possibility. I thought you'd be smart enough to stay away from dimensional creatures. Your new friend back there was a Mer. Do you know what Mers are known to do, Penny? Do you have any idea?"

"No," I said quietly.

"They're bloodthirsty killers. And they just love drowning naive humans unlucky enough to wander onto their path."

"I get it," I snapped. "I'm sorry."

Her demeanor seemed to soften the slightest. "Well," she said. "Just ... remember to keep that in mind next time."

"Next time?" I cried. "There won't be a next time!"

"Oh yes there will," she argued. "We're just getting started. Catching that siren, Daphne is just the beginning of our problems."

"She didn't seem that bad--" I started.

Sighing, Ms. Albert said, "You can never tell. That's the thing you need to remember. Above all else. You can't trust any of them. Please tell me you'll keep that in mind."

"I will," I said.

When I went on to say more, she silenced me with her hand. "Look, Penny, we'll go over all of this soon enough, but not now." She looked around. "Not here. We need a quieter place ... where no one will disturb us."

There was a lot I could have said. My mind was overflowing with questions, questions that burned and itched to be asked, but I controlled myself. Somehow. I simply nodded my agreement, and that seemed to suit her just fine.