Paradise

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-four

An iridescent cathedral stood before me, glowing with sunlight; its highest, crystal-colored steeple disappeared behind a veil of clouds. Its shimmering walls bordered the edges of the summit, threatening to crumble off the sides of the mountain. I couldn't say how high it was, even when looking over the edge, because a blanket of clouds concealed the world below. Veils of the same wispy white rose like fog at the edge, lingering inches above the marble-like ground.

To say we were isolated was a laughable understatement. We were more than isolated. This could have very well been a floating island for all I knew, and had somebody told me that, I would've believed them; I didn't know the possibilities of this dimension. I was hardly familiar with it at all, so anything seemed possible. It could have even been created out of magic. Maybe Daphne had designed and manufactured it, herself.

But for what purpose? That was the real question, wasn't it? I still had no idea what was going on and why she had insisted on bringing Robert and me up here. I kept trying to come up with some sort of explanation, but nothing made sense. I was absolutely stumped.

I sighed.

None of that mattered at the moment. I was stuck here. That was a truly scary thought. What if Daphne had a horrible, twisted plan for us? There was no way to escape at this height-- at least none I could think of. And unless Ms. Albert and Yvette knew of this place, Robert and I would not be saved.

And I wasn't about to take a running leap off the edge and hope for the best.

That would just be stupid.

The only true way to find out what was going on would be to find Daphne and ask her. There was still a problem with that idea, though. I had this horrible sinking sensation in my guts telling me that I didn't really want to know what was going on.

But which was worse? Not knowing and creating all sorts of awful ideas in my head and getting myself stressed out over nothing or knowing exactly what was going on and not liking it? I couldn't decide. I just wanted to be back in my room, all safe and comfortable, with my worst fears being bullied at school or something else horribly petty now.

But Daphne said you wouldn't be going back. My mind reminded me.

My pulse quickened, throbbing in my throat. Yeah, she had said that back in the classroom. Maybe she'd only been trying to scare me into obedience? Maybe she would change her mind ... or I'd just get lucky and find a way to escape?

Before I could venture farther into those thoughts my head filled with singing. I could discern three distinct voices. One high and airy, soaring above the other two; I recognized it as Daphne's. Below hers was a stronger soprano voice, somewhere between the two, uniting them as one. The lowest voice rumbled in my chest like the engine of a powerful machine.

I listened to them for a moment, my eyes prickling with tears. It was like the heavens had opened above me, and I could hear the singing of angels. Their voices rose and fell like the tide. It pulled me in and I found myself suddenly following the sound. I wiped at my eyes absently, my throat clogging with emotion. I suddenly felt on the verge of sobbing; I didn't know why.

The cathedral had no doors or windows, just high-arched entrances, lined with carvings of winged, long-haired maidens in flowing dresses, flowers, trees and birds. I walked right on through, coming into a circular room where sunlight beamed in through every entrance.

Their voices rang almost painfully through the building, reverberating off the walls. It took me a moment to adapt to the volume. When I was sure my eardrums wouldn't burst from the intensity, I paused to look around. There wasn't much to see. The room was mostly bare, save for four large pillars in the center of the room; there were carvings in them, similar to the ones above the entrances. Sunlight painted the walls and pillars shades of colors no paint-job could ever reproduce.