The Skin Thief

Chapter 92

They put us in the back of a truck.

"Is this thing even safe?" Marcus had joked as we had seen it. It was so odd seeing the vehicle and how different it is from those in the fourth realm. With its long bonnet, front grill, two circular lights and gleaming metal, it has a strange, old beauty that the sleek and modern vehicles of the fourth realm lack. A pang of nostalgia rushed through me as Marcus and I got into the back.

Now, as we travel down uneven roads in the shuddering, loud vehicle, nostalgia is quickly replaced by a deep longing for the smooth vehicles of the fourth realm. That realm has spoiled me. Life with all that technology has made everything easy. When I come home, it's going to be a big shock not being able to text someone or use a computer.

I almost groan as I think about how I'll have to go back to televisions that are huge, bulky boxes with a tiny grey screen in the middle, showing grainy black and white footage instead of images so clear it is as though I'm in the room with whatever's happening.

"How are you feeling, Ivy?" Marcus asks, raising his voice so he can be heard over the engines. Like our journey to the portals, we can't see where we are going. This time, it's because we're in the back of a truck that has no windows at all, and the entrance has been secured with a thick canvas material.

Even if I wanted to report back to Mr Day where this secret Fourth Realm base is, I'm so disoriented from the journey that I wouldn't be able to tell. All I'd be able to tell him was how long the journey took and the fact that I was told we were two hundred miles away from Thuldon – if they were even truthful about that.

"A little overwhelmed," I say back to Marcus.

He nods his head and shifts closer to me so he doesn't have to shout. My heart flutters as our shoulders touch, and I look up at him. He smiles at me, the smile beautiful and wickedly charming.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," he chuckles, "I just can't believe you're here with me in another realm."

I laugh. "Neither can I," I reply.

Understatement of the century.

I really hope Mr Day got the message out to my family. I really, really hope my family have made sure they don't make any signs of recognising me and have also warned others who know my face to do the same.

My stomach twists with fear, and I gulp. Marcus reaches for my hand once more and squeezes it. I smile up at him, meeting his beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm going to look after you, Ivy. I promise. Nothing will happen to you."

"I know," I reply. "I don't know if I'm more scared of the Redbirds, or if they've told the Athainian government and there's a trap waiting for us."

"I've been assured they haven't," Marcus says. "Though you can never be too careful. But, as I said, I'll look after you. I'll get you out if there is a trap in wait."

"I trust you," I reply, though I know there won't be. Mr Day has invested too much into making sure I get into this position with Marcus. There's no way they would sabotage it by trying to capture him. They will want him to think he's as safe with me as possible.

"I can't believe that was your first time through a portal. I thought you would have gone to other realms in your secret military career," I say, changing the subject.

The smile on Marcus's face falters, and he looks down at her intertwined fingers.

"I vowed I would never go to another realm," he says.

I raise my eyebrows. "Really?" I ask.

He nods his head, and his jaw tightens. "My father left for another realm on a secret mission. He never came home."