Into Taleria

Chapter One

It started with a book, a wish, and five simple words; I don't want to go.

These words were not uttered from the hospital bed of a fearful patient facing her last days, nor whispered softly into a lover's ear the night before a soldier shipped out. No, these words were not even spoken, just a petty thought, an internal moan of annoyance before an uncomfortable event.

I don't want to go.

From the moment the irritating blare of her alarm clock jolted her awake that morning, the words had bounced uselessly in Kate's head, like a DVD player screensaver when the movie's been paused for just a bit too long.

I don't want to go, as she showered, dressed, and called a cab, because of course stupid daylight savings had made her miss her bus. I just don't want to go. Really, all she wanted to do was crawl back to bed, onto the lumpy, second-hand mattress, which was never quite so comfy as when she had to leave it, and into the warm, fluffy cavern of blankets, turn on her white noise machine and sleep until reality found her.

Or maybe forever. That sounded good.

She had screwed up at work so many times yesterday, and pretty monumentally too-though in her defense, how was she supposed to know flammable and inflammable meant the same thing?-that she was pretty sure she was getting fired. And yeah, working at the stop-and-rob wasn't exactly Kate's dream job, but it paid the bills and kept a house over her head in her cheap basement apartment and at this point it was really all she had.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad as she thought. The fire hadn't been that big, and she'd gotten it out rather quickly, after all. Maybe she'd just get stuck with the night shift. Then she could hang out with the crackheads. That would be fun.

Oh, she really didn't want to go.

Suck it up, buttercup. It was her mom's favorite phrase, and it grated at her, but that didn't stop it from popping up every time she found herself wallowing. Suck it up, buttercup, life is tough, but so are you. You do what you have to do.

And if she didn't want to end up on the streets with the fun crackheads, (or more likely, moving back in with her mom) she had to go to work, see if she could somehow salvage the wreck she'd made of it.

Upside, she was supposed to meet her mom for lunch that day-free food, score! -downside, that probably meant another hypocritical attempt at a set-up. Hypocritical because Kate couldn't remember the last time her mother had dated anyone, but that... that was a can of worms she didn't want to open. Again.

Kate sighed. Yup, the day was going to suck, and dwelling on it was only tying a knot of anxiety in her stomach, so as she waited for her cab, she sought escape the same way she always did; she grabbed her favorite book-The Talerian Chronicles: book one-and, brushing back an errant lock of bright blue hair (newly dyed, mom was going to love it) tried to read.

I wish I could just run away to Taleria, she thought wistfully. She'd much rather face down goblins and dragons and trolls than the consequences of her own stupidity. Ah, but if wishes were fishes-

A honking horn jolted Kate out of her thoughts. Dag. The cab was there. She reluctantly closed the book and stood to go, but didn't get more than a step before she felt something slam into her chest with enough force to knock her back onto the couch and steal the air from her lungs. She gasped and coughed, trying to catch her breath, but before she could, something violently yanked her forward, sending her tumbling to the floor.

Except she didn't hit the floor.

She didn't... What? Where... who turned out the lights? How did... when did it get so cold? She was falling, still falling, how am I still falling? Where... where am I? Her thoughts were sluggish and muddled when they came, like trying to wade through molasses. Eventually, it occurred to Kate that she should probably be trying to do something, finding the ground maybe, or opening her eyes. Were they closed? She thought they were open, thought she was blinking, but it was hard to tell.