Timeweaver

Something Fishy

Tabitha's eyes fluttered open at the sound of loud, frantic splashing. Where was she again? She kept forgetting. For some reason, every time she woke up, she expected to be back in her own bed and find that this world had all been one crazy, messed-up dream.

But she wasn't in her bed. She was lying down on something solid. A rock. But why was part of the rock softer than the rest? She turned her head and found two pale blue eyes staring back at her. Lyss? Hadn't this already happened? She sat up, alarmed. Griffin. She breathed a sigh of relief. That would have been awkward... It was still awkward.

Then she remembered their conversation. Right, the murderer, she thought, but the fear and hatred weren't as strong as they had been when she first discovered the truth. She couldn't exactly pinpoint why. "What?" Griffin asked sleepily, squinting against the evening light.

Splash! They both turned their heads to see a swarm of faeries surrounding their discarded fishing rods. "No!" Griffin gasped, raking a hand through his messy hair. He stepped right into the water without bothering to take off his shoes, splashing and kicking and swatting at the faeries. The last of the faeries zipped away when he knelt in the water. Tabitha stood next to him, glad she hadn't bothered to put on shoes.

"Oh no, this can't be happening," Griffin whispered to himself, holding the shattered remains of the golden poles. Tabitha tugged at his shoulders until he stood up and walked back to the rocks.

"What's the problem?" Tabitha asked. "Can't you just buy new ones? I'm sure I could even help you make -"

"No!" Griffin yelled. "You don't understand! My dad..." Griffin trailed off. Tabitha stepped back a few feet. Griffin had a temper that reminded her of Catalina, although his was a little more intense. Oh, Cat. Is she okay? If only Tabitha had known they were within earshot of each other. "My dad made them," Griffin finished, and she turned her attention back to him. "The one I was using used to belong to him."

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault," Tabitha said, staring at the unrecognizable twigs that meant so much to him. Was it really her fault? She had been blaming herself a lot lately since she entered this world. Griffin had never talked about his dad. Then again, it was only her second day. However, everything felt familiar to her, as if she had been here for years instead of a day and a half...

"How is this your fault?"

"I brought up last night, which made you upset, which made us fall asleep?" Now that Tabitha said it out loud, she realized she had no explanation for how this day had played out. She also realized she didn't remember falling asleep in the first place.

"You know what? I don't even remember falling asleep," Griffin said, voicing her thoughts. "Something fishy is going on here."

Tabitha couldn't help but laugh. "That was the worst pun ever," she said between giggles. Griffin laughed along with her. It was stupid, but she was relieved to break the palpable tension that had been present since arriving at the meadow.

"Speaking of fish," Tabitha said, catching her breath, "Weren't we supposed to bring home lunch?"

"It's too late for lunch now, but," he said, tossing the splintered wood into the bushes and nodding toward the pond, "Feel free to dive in for dinner." She raised her eyebrows. "I'm just kidding. Come on," he said, standing up. How quickly his mood had changed!

They crossed to the other side of the meadow and into the surrounding forest, and Tabitha heard the birds striking up their song again. The wind picked up and faeries fluttered to and fro, not caring about the destruction they had caused.

The golden tree limbs scratched at the new clothes Lyss had given her; she would probably need new ones soon. They walked - or in Tabitha's case, stomped and swatted through the thickly wooded area, shiny leaves getting caught in her thick, dark hair -- for a few minutes before Tabitha spoke up. "Um, I don't mean to complain," she said to Griffin, who trudged through the undergrowth without a problem, "But is the whole way to wherever we're going gonna be like this?" She ducked when a branch Griffin had pushed out of his way swung towards her face. He didn't seem to notice.

"No, we can follow the path if you like." He stepped sideways and out of the trees.

"Path?" Tabitha asked, looking at the trees and bushes ahead of her. She had suffered scratching branches, tangled hair, and sweating like a pig because of these stupid reflective trees when there had been a path? "I'll remember that," she told Griffin when she had joined him in the wide clearing between the trees.

"So will I," he chuckled, pulling one of the many leaves out of her hair. She pulled out the remaining twigs and spider webs and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, which she should have done earlier.

"Where are we going, by the way? If I have to stay in this forest any longer, my eyes are going to melt right out of my head, and my arms and legs are going to turn into cooked spaghetti." Tabitha knew she was being whiny, but these weren't exactly the most comfortable conditions, even though there weren't branches tearing at her clothes anymore.

"Oh, right," Griffin nodded, "I forgot. You're used to having air conditioner everywhere you go. Well, I'll tell you something, Tabitha. We've got none of that here in Magdilus."

"Magdilus. That's what this place is called, right?" The name still sounded so familiar. A memory was lurking way, way in the back of her mind. She could almost reach out and grab it... and it was gone again.

Griffin nodded in answer to her question. He looked ahead of them, but before Tabitha could catch a glimpse of what he was looking at, he placed a hand over her eyes. "What? Griffin?" Tabitha stumbled along blindly next to him. When they stopped, Griffin removed his hand.

"I know it's different than what you're used to, but this is the capital of Magdilus. Welcome to Avalon, the third kingdom."

And it was completely different from any town she had ever seen. Avalon was spotted with oddly-shaped buildings, each of them quite large and made out of either golden stone or golden wood to match the surrounding forest. Stranger were the creatures around the town. Human-sized faeries were selling clothes and jewelry in some of the buildings and along the streets in booths. Short beings with green skin of varying shades with the most hideous faces advertised restaurants. Crowds of both humans and faeries, giants, goblins(?), elves, and other Magdilinian creatures that weren't even in storybooks milled around the shops and homes.

In the far distance stood a castle. Tabitha didn't notice it at first, but as they slowly made their way through the throng, she could see a palace made entirely out of gold. Even its gates were golden. The guards - the Magdilus Guard, she guessed - had armor made from gold as well. The ones not guarding the castle gates stood at different points in the city, keeping an eye on things. No wonder Griffin got caught, Tabitha thought. They were everywhere.

No matter how strange the people and buildings seemed, the weirdest thing of all was the environment. Avalon seemed to be tucked into the Golden Forest. The ground was uncovered; just the natural, metallic dirt floor of the forest. Golden trees and bushes reflected light from almost every empty spot. Vines even wound around homes. The treetops rose above even the tallest of buildings, covering everything from the sky. Now that she got a closer look at the castle, she could see golden vines and branches winding around the walls and needle-like towers, camouflaging it as well. Tabitha wondered why the capital city was hidden so well.

Griffin pulled her along to a cart selling fish. "Can I interest you in the catch of the day, my friend? It's nice and fresh. Fishermen brought it in just moments ago," the stout man with dark green skin asked in a gravelly voice.

"Sure, Monty," Griffin answered. The "man" (Tabitha wasn't sure what he was), Monty, wrapped two yellow fish in paper. They didn't look particularly appetizing to Tabitha, and she hoped they tasted better than they looked.

"Problem solved," Griffin told her, handing Monty a few coins. They headed for the woods once again, Griffin mumbling something about it being dangerous after dark.

That's when Tabitha heard the voice call after them.

"Leaving so soon, Griff?"