War on Kitaris

Chapter 20 - Sweet Calamity

If you have ever transported from one world to the other, a few things often run through your mind and they seem to get jumbled, so it takes a while for your oddly jet-lagged to figure them out.

The first thing I noticed was the dizziness in my head and nausea in my stomach. That soon went away, though when I noticed the second thing, which was that the area around us has changed from the majestic woods of Kitaris, to the bush a few blocks down of my street.

The last, was that I was home.

It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the area. When they did, I looked around, speechless. Yes, this was it, this was definitely it. The thin trees that were all spaced far away from each other, the sound of cars in the distance, the smell in the air. It was all so, so different from Kitaris, but it felt like I was never gone.

“We made it,” I gasped, unbelieving. I looked over at Devin who was looking around too, getting used to it. When he felt my eyes on him, he looked over and gave me an enthusiastic grin.

“Let’s check in to a motel,” he said, slinging his back-pack over his shoulder. Looking at him now, dressed in a leather jacket and beat-up jeans, he looked exactly like the Devin that I first saw in the school corridor. It seemed like years ago, but it was only months. If you had told me then that Devin would be my future husband, I would have laughed in their face and said, “Yeah, when pigs fly.”

“But we’re so close,” I said, frowning and following Devin. As we walked, he looked back at me, his eyes lingering for a moment.

“It takes a lot of power to travel from Kitaris to the human world, Rose. We’re both tired and we need rest.”

“Fair enough,” I sighed, not saying anything more. He had a point, but looking at the neighbourhood that I had seen a million times before, the butterflies fluttered at a million miles per hour at the thought that I had to wait a few more hours longer before seeing Jane, Tom, and Skye. But I didn’t argue; if he was tired, he needed rest and honestly, I couldn’t wait until getting my hands on a good old burger, fries and milkshake.

We walked for a good half hour before we finally reached our destined motel; a fairly clean and hygienic one, seeming as it was a motel. We checked in, earning a look of disapproval from the man at the counter because we most certainly could not have passed as an innocent brother and sister, but a pair of teenagers up to no good. He handed us the keys, mumbled something about Room 5, and looked back down at the car magazine he was engrossed in. Devin looked at me, shrugged, and we made our way to our room.

Devin pushed open the door and I followed him, taking in what the room looked like. It was small, no surprise there, and was a simple room consisting of a bar-fridge, a table with three chairs, a small television, a bedside table, and that was placed right next to the double bed.

Yes, I was shocked to find out that I had to share a bed with Devin. And I’m not even being sarcastic; I thought we would be in separate beds. I wouldn’t have really minded, if I wasn’t such an awkward person. Do I snore? Or do I kick in my sleep? Devin, however, didn’t seem to mind at all. He simply placed his bag on the table, took off his shoes, and lay down on the bed, exhausted.

Devin was asleep in moments. I couldn’t help but note how adorable he looked when he was sleeping, with his hair fallen into his face, which looked so peaceful, and a tiny smile on his lips. He looked so innocent and strangely vulnerable.

Being careful to not wake him, I picked up the remote beside me, turned the volume down low, and turned on the television. I laughed to myself as I flicked through the channels; I had forgotten how bad day television was. I settled with some corny soap-opera show, and lay down closely besides Devin, resting my head on his chest.