Heaven Gilded Zarcroft Hybrid

Nineteen

Dorothy purchased three red and black bead necklaces and a matching gimp bracelet with a fake fang on it. Cynaline just handed over three hundred dollars without buying anything.

We moved through the walking people carrying giant paper bags and cartons of food.

"How did you know what 'Earthonia' was?" I asked.

"I heard someone say it," she said, playing with the fang on her bracelet. "I didn't know it was a country or whatever. I just said it. I think it was on that map in the Mind, too."

"That's another realm," Cynaline clarified. "It's on the other side of the world."

"Realm?"

"Or continent, but we call them 'realms'. 'Continent' sounds too... geographic."

We made it back to the front entrance. Jamie sat on a wooden stool, with a giant brown paper bag. Or it was probably some weird 'alien' future paper.

"Do we have to leave now?" He looked up at us like a begging puppy. "Tell Zinoray to be patient."

Cynaline sighed. "He's been waiting to do this for years now, and just found the location for this Incarnate two days ago. He's the embodiment of patience."

"Well... I don't have anything else to say. Good for him."

"We'll just grab it, and maybe stay at the hotel overnight... once I figure out where it actually is."

"Oooh, a mystery!" Dorothy blissed.

Cynaline led us out of the building. The sky dimmed to light gray, but music vibrated all around from several cars in the parking lot. I felt the bass booming in the ground. From far off in the city, colored lights flickered from the streets. The air smelled of dinner food.

We finally met the car. Cynaline pressed his thumb against a button on the door, unlocking all of them.

Dorothy sat in the passenger seat, while Jamie and I sat in the back with the food bags between us.

For a split second, the car revved. The seats vibrated. But it froze.

"What?" Cynaline pressed the ignition button on his dashboard. Nothing. On the third attempt, it started blinking blue, with a screeching beep.

"No way!" He punched the button. "The power's drained! It was fully charged when we got here."

"What happened?" Dorothy leaned over to him. "Maybe your teleporter took its power."

"I think you're right... We need another way to travel."

"You guys don't have any self-recharging cars or something?" I asked.

"It is self-charging. But it won't. That's the issue. It'll take a while to fix. I'll text Mobi. The car isn't safe anymore."

Jamie flinched and grabbed the back of the seat. "What do you mean?"

"Just get out of the car."

We didn't hesitate, and rushed out onto the pavement. Jamie and I took one of the paper bags, while Dorothy rummaged through her pocket for her phone.

She held it up. "Maybe we can get a bus! We have the money."

"We use trains, usually. But where are we gonna go?" Cynaline asked. "The Kalypso hotel isn't on any maps."

"So how do people get in? Do you have to be rich?"

"No, but you'd have to be friends or family with someone there. Mobi has a very, very distant cousin that lives there, but I don't think that counts."

"We have to try," I said. "What do we have to lose?"

"Zinoray, if we don't hurry," Cynaline joked. "I'll look up some available trains. Maybe if we ask nicely, they'll lead us to its location."

He took out his phone and typed something in.

"How about the MorteVista?" I asked. "The guy we met brought it up. It's super cool."

"The MorteVista... I heard of that before! I'll see if there's any spots. Shouldn't cost that much. Good thinking, Jack."

"You sure? It looks pretty fancy."

"Well, Zini didn't say we couldn't. He didn't say anything, really. I wish he could come with us, though... he's busy."

"Sorry if it's too much. I just wanted to see it. It looks beautiful!"

His eyes softened. "Don't be. Might as well explore. I'll reserve our seats. In the meantime—"

"AHHH!"

We all looked up.

Mobi, the boy from Zinoray's place, appeared a mile in the air. And fell.

Cynaline flew into the air and caught him in his arms, struggling with the extra weight.

He carried him down and sat him on the pavement.

Mobi rubbed his forehead.

"Thanks for not being a jock and letting me die," he groaned.

"What were you doing in the sky?" Dorothy panicked, cupping her mouth.

"Cynaline's car vanished from the map while I was teleporting, so it didn't know where to go. Also, hi!"

He struggled to his feet.

"You didn't bring any tools?" I asked.

"You think someone like me is staying here alone?" he joked. "I'm bringing this puppy to Zinoray's."

"Isn't that dangerous? Teleporting it like that?"

"It was until it died. You're lucky it stopped working when it did. You could've been killed."

Cynaline yanked him back by his hood. "I need your teleporter. Mine is out of power and we need to get to a train station. Our luggage is in the trunk."

"I need this for actual important things. And I only have a few teleportals left before it needs to be charged."

"What about your other teleporter... nevermind. Sorry."

Dorothy stepped beside Cynaline. "Maybe only two people should go. So we'd have less luggage."

He gave her a warm smile. "No, I need all the help I can get. We'll just go to the hotel and teleport the luggage to us... somehow. I'll worry about that. Just enjoy yourself."

Mobi smirked, covering his mouth with his baggy sleeve. He climbed onto the roof of the car.

"What're you laughing at?"Cynaline pressed. "Do you want me to kill you?"

"Maybe if you weren't such an edgecase, you'd remember that Zinoray did back-to-school shopping for you and put teleporters in your bookbag."

"Really..."

Cynaline pulled off his bag and searched inside. He pulled out a rounded, black smartphone with a GPS screen and a scroll ball at the bottom. A small light bulb stuck out at the top.

He squinted at Mobi.

"How cute," he snarked.

"You're welcome!" Mobi smiled, though it was hard to tell if he was kidding or not. "Anyway, that's my queue to leave."

He pulled a bulky, silver teleporter from his pocket and pressed something.

"Bye!" he waved his arms.

Blue and black light coated him and the car. They warped to nothing, with glowing dust drifting from their shape.

"Good God, can we go now?" Jamie growled. "It's so hot out here."

"Sorry!" Cynaline ran over and touched his shoulder. "Everyone hold onto each other."

I grabbed his hand, and Dorothy held me. She was too nervous to touch Cynaline.

He pressed a button on the teleporter and we were on our way to the train station.