The Flower Chronicles

Chapter 5: Two Worlds

Kelly's Dad

"You think she's okay? It's been a three days now. The police still haven't found her body anywhere at the Harrison's."

"That means that she's alive. She's a smart girl. Survival is in her blood. Remember the stories I told you of my grandfather? Those are all true you know," I say with a smile to my wife. She doesn't look convinced.

"It was a different world back then. Times have changed. The boy is gone too. You think they are together at least? He was sweet boy," she says with a tear welling up.

"The Order is probably already investigating. I could contact that old friend of mine. I wonder how he's doing," I ponder. Though of course, I know perfectly well what trouble he got himself into. I am not exactly lying, since I do worry about him.

"Didn't you two end on bad terms?" She asks.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," I say reluctantly.

She is bawling now and mumbles, "You said this kind of stuff would never come to her. What's happened?" I wish I knew exactly. It won't be easy talking to the police when they start asking me questions. It is never easy explaining these things to people in this world. Everything is new to them. They have to take information in chucks. Well, that's all really the Agency's job anyway. We dispel information and spin our own version of this twisted nightmare. We do whatever we can to make sure the Order is free to do the dirty work.

"Do you know how to work this cell phone? I think the Order is on quick dial or whatever you call it."

Aaron Warren

I hate long car rides, especially ones where I am sticky from human flesh. The old man gave me a rag, but turns out that was just to sit on. He appears to take great pride in his run down hippie van decked out with oddities and Christmas lights. The stereo system is blasting loud. We've been listening to same lame rock song for past hour.

"You know this track is from my old band. It was top of the charts across the kingdom for three week in a row," Eulin says excitedly, "and it always gets me pumped for an adventure like this!" He has to shout this over the music. It is a catchy tune. I cannot understand some of the words. He explained earlier the screamo parts are some Elvish dialect.

"So, you're not giving much of a choice? I don't know if I am the adventuring type. I think I should go home or at least to the police," I say uneasily. I am thinking mostly of showering, but I am sure everyone thinks I am dead. I sure smell of like it.

"Nope! Absolutely no choice for you. You survived an attack by an ancient evil! They won't be too happy about that. I am the only one who can protect you. And now, the Order is moving to Phase 2 of the operation! Besides, adventures are fun," he says with a jolly smile.

I am so confused. I am just a pathetic kid, and now I am thrust into this new life. Magic, demons, and an ancient evil, it's all so overwhelming. Just a day ago my biggest fear was clowns with frogs in a close second. Now there's so much more to worry about. There's so much I don't know about everything. How can I save my girl? How can I be the hero of this story?

"They? So there's more than one of those freaks? And what the hell is this Order? If I am going be apart of all this, you have some explaining to do," I say a bit angrily over the music.

He looks at with that goofy smile again. "If I am going to start narrating, we need to spin up track 7, 'The Story of Two Worlds'," he jams some rusty buttons on the antique car stereo and continues, "I feel like it's the theme song to this whole chapter... of my life. You hear me on the bass? That was me in my younger years, when I was more handsome, if you can believe it. Oh, those were the days! We were happy then. We ate carrot pie, the bard sang of the Man in us all, and, best of all, the Iron Bar had half off drinks on Thursdays. That's was down in Merryton where I was born, in a world very unlike this one. Here's how the story really begins for me..."