In Between

Chapter Thirty-six: New Beginnings

"So this is it," Bri said, nodding approvingly at the lovely house marked with a large number twenty-three.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Apryl asked, holding out the keys.

"No, you can do it—but I get to choose my bedroom first."

Apryl sighed and slid the key into the lock. Part of her expected that this was a joke and the key wouldn't really work, because she couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she had been given a house. Mrs. Dalhart had told her that she'd lived at number twenty-three before she had married Gabriel and moved into the general's mansion. The shaman's house wasn't quite as large, but it was equally splendid and much too roomy for just her and Bri. The entrance hall was long and spacious with shiny wooden flooring that branched off into the kitchen and living room; each were fully furnished with marble counters and working appliances, and leather couches and plush armchairs. There was also a beautiful, winding staircase leading upstairs like something from a dream.

"I want a North-facing room," Bri commented, heading straight for the top floor.

"Which way is North here again?" Apryl asked, but her sister was already claiming the master bedroom with the private washroom.

While Bri busied herself with the bathtub's fancy jets—it was amazing the kinds of technology people in the Glitz were allowed, yet most of them had never heard of television—Apryl slowly made her way through the first floor rooms; she looked through the kitchen cupboards, which had recently been stocked with Earth food, and tested the couches and chairs for maximum comfort. Mostly, she thought about her new life.

Apryl would never be able to permanently go back to Earth, because her promise to be the Shaman of the Inbetween was binding until death—Queen Aurielle had made that very clear. Even so, none of the royals new about Kieran's ability to open portals, so it was still a possibility that she would be able to visit her old dimension from time to time. That would be necessary if Bri ever wanted to straighten her hair again. They could take a few trips to collect the important things that they had left behind like their individual wardrobes and Apryl's box of family photos.

I wonder if I'll ever be able to forget my old life, Apryl thought. She didn't particularly want to forget nor did she think it was possible. After experiencing television for most of her life, the thought of going without one forever was saddening, but that was the least of Apryl's worries. She thought about the people she was leaving behind and the unique beauty that her little blue and green planet had to offer...Earth really was a magnificent world.

Apryl knew that she would miss the sun and the ocean, and although she hadn't left any close friends behind, there were still one or two acquaintances who Apryl knew she would miss. A girl named Leslie had been Apryl's partner for most of her school projects, and there was a very sweet boy named Allen who she had gone on quite a few dates with. She had never considered a possible future with him or anyone else who she'd had relations with, and she was now glad that she hadn't because of the direction in which her future seemed to be headed. As she thought about her old life, Apryl realized that she had more to lose by staying in the Inbetween than she had originally thought. But I'm gaining more than enough to make up for it, she decided.

There were the selfish things, of course, like this wonderful house—Apryl and Bri had never lived in such a nice home before—and she wouldn't have to work very hard as the shaman, because the royals gave her a generous salary each week. She knew that she would eventually get a job anyways, just to prove that she wasn't going to grow idle and live off of easy money.

More importantly, she had fantastic people in her new life; Kieran and his family lived only a short walk from her new home—he and Jasmine were currently picking Gabriel up from the jail—and Mrs. Dalhart had promised that Apryl and her sister would be welcome to visit anytime; the twins were planning on visiting soon to check out the house, but Apryl suspected that this was an excuse for them to see Bri; a message had also been passed along to Gilda with reassuring news about the deal she had made with the queen, so Apryl didn't doubt that the elder lady would be a good friend to her and her sister now that their stay was permanent.