Reader Believes

Chapter 3

            Rika strode across the lobby’s shiny floor, her eyes locked onto the elevators ahead. She only knew that Ahisu was still behind her by the click of his staff hitting the tile with every step he took. Shetton had already disappeared, the strange sights having lured him away within seconds. Not that Rika cared. She had bigger things to worry about.

            Jabbing the up button and hearing the light ding of an available elevator, Rika hurried inside. She stabbed at the number fifteen as her breathing quickened. Even Ahisu’s jerking movements when the elevator started to rise didn’t draw her attention. For once, he wasn’t one of the foremost things in her mind.

            When ten appeared on the display, Rika felt her breath catch in her throat, her fists clenching. Her desire to see Connor was an almost physical weight on her, but at the same time, she knew he would be angry at her. Beyond angry by now. Enraged would be far more likely. She’d left him alone for two months, without a word, without any kind of contact. There was no way he was going to be calm about her return.

            The door pinged before opening onto the hall’s red and orange carpeting. Rika hurried down the corridor, past a handful of doors until she came to the one on the end, number fifteen-twelve. Her home.

            Rika reached out a hand, but paused with it hovering over the handle. And awful thought occurred to her. What if Conner had moved? What if he thought she was dead, and had left? What if one of their parents had come and taken him away? What if…

            She shook herself. Taking a few, calming breaths, she squared her shoulders. She faced lords, armies, and demons. She would face her brother. Even if she thought he might be scarier than Ishbak with rage by now.

            Keys jangling as she unlocked the door, Rika shoved it open and stepped inside. The familiar sight of the white hall, with the black and green edge of the couch just visible from the family room, brought tears to her eyes. There were times when she’d thought she’d never see this place again.

            Fighting the lump in her throat down, Rika took a few more steps inside. She jumped at the sound of the door closing, but turning only found Ahisu behind her. She took another deep breath. It was better to do it fast, like a bandaid. “I’m home,” she called, her voice throbbing on the last syllable.

            She heard quick footsteps before she saw Connor. Her eyes went to straight to him as he entered the room, her gaze wandering over every inch of him. His brown hair, only a few shades lighter than hers, still hung past the tops of his ears. His eyes, the same colour as hers, stared back at her. His usual t-shirt and jeans pairing hanging off his lanky form. He looked exactly as he always had.

            But his eyes didn’t stay on her for long, slipping past to stare the person behind her. “Who is that?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

            Rika’s mouth dropped open. “W-what?”

            Conner’s eyes went back to her. “Look Riks, I know I’ve said I don’t care when you bring friends over, but I thought that was going to be people like Myra. Not some psycho Harry Potter wannabe. You promised you weren’t bringing home anymore strays, remember?”

            “Y-you…Didn’t you wonder where I was?”

            “No. I assumed you were in the library at school. Same place you are every weekday until they kick you out. I’m surprised you’re this soon after school ended.” Studying her more closely, he noticed her wide eyes, trembling hands, and stained and torn uniform. He frowned and shifted closer. “Rika, what happened? Did-Did someone hurt you? Was it him?” He growled, jerking his chin in Ahisu’s direction.

            Rika shook her head before turning to look at the mage. “I don’t understand. It was two months. You know I was there for two months. What’s going on?”

            Ahisu shrugged.

            “What are you talking about?” Conner demanded, stalking over so he was standing behind Rika. “And who is this?”

            Rika looked at her brother and bit her lip. “His name’s Ahisu. I…I thought you were going to be mad. I thought you were going to yell at me, demand answers. I thought you were going to know I’d be gone. I never imagined that…” Rika’s eyes strayed away from the intense blue of her brother’s gaze to the clock mounted on the wall. She shook her head. “It can’t be that no time has passed. I opened the book during my spare. That was just after one. It’s three thirty now. So time has passed. But why is it so different?” she said, looking back at the mage.

            “I don’t know. This place…it’s beyond strange.”

            Tears welled up in Rika’s eyes as she laughed. Even she couldn’t sort through the maelstrom of emotions that pulled at her control. Happiness, worry, surprise fear, confusion, panic, and relief left no room in her for reason or logic.

            She started when she felt an arm around her shoulders. Rika looked up to find Conner staring at her, concern lining his face. “What’s going on? You’re not acting like yourself. You look like you’ve been in a fight, come home with some strange guy, and now you’re laughing and crying at the same time. You know you can tell me anything.”

            Rika half-laughed and half-sobbed. “You’re not going to believe me.”

            “You know I always do.”

            After several wet chuckles, she was able to get herself under some kind of tenuous control. She met Conner’s gaze squarely. “Would you believe me if I told you I got sent to another world by a magic book?”