Htrae : The Four Stages

Chapter 3: Twin Worlds

Chapter 3

Twin Worlds

At first I though she was going to send us to an asylum by the way she talked so seriously and quickly on the phone. When she put down the phone, Ms Dnalyam said, "Follow me." She stood up, took out something from her drawer and walked down a hallway on the right.

As we followed her, I noticed that Ms Dnalyam was holding the rectangular device in her hand. She was constantly looking at it as she walked. It was the same device I see everyone holding. It was as if the device was guiding her through the narrow corridors. The girls huddled together as they walked. Harold and Alan kept quiet, keeping up with Ms Dnalyam's fast walking pace. Alan stuffed his hands into his pockets, Helen and Harold were looking around, Amy gripped the hem of her shirt, Malita was muttering softly so that no one could make out her words, Megan was gripping unto Helen tightly and I played with my fingers. We all had this strange feeling inside us. Something was definitely wrong, and we could do nothing. We know something big was going on, our uncertainty puts us into discomfort. We want to get rid of it but it was currently impossible. I wish this wasn't my reality but it was.

We stopped at the door. The metal template on it said : 'Mrs Manar.' Our principle name is Mrs. Ranam. Mrs Ranam is our strict person who does all she can to keep order in our school. After all those look alikes I've met, I wonder how this woman, who would look like Mrs Ranam, will react to our arrival.

Ms Dnalyam opened the door. The brown walls were of a rich chocolate stained with mould, there hung a few photos of the school and framed pieces of newspaper. At the right corner at the end of the room was a collection of non-framed newspaper stuck unto the wall with thumbtacks. I could see a few bolded headlines: Nosliw Students Strike Again! Suomafni Evif Robs Bank; Two Nosliw Students Found Dead; The Nogard Racs Rebels, Uprising Threat. I shivered. This school doesn't seem to have a good record compared to the certificates framed up. It made me doubt their authencitiy. The red carpeted floor had a several scattered papers here all over the place, a photograph of a preteen indian boy was buried among them. The wooden table ahead of us didn't look sturdy, it was filled with stacks of papers and many files about to topple off. A woman with brown boy-cut hair and thick glasses hanging on the bridge of her nose was focusing on her work, she looked very stress. Her plain suit however was neat and tidy.

The woman, who I guess is Mrs Manar, failed to notice us as we entered the room. She was scrambling to grab pieces of paper, pondering hard over a stack of papers. She was grumbling things so low it sounded like thunder. We stood in a small huddle at the door as Ms Dnalyam stepped forward. She cleared her throat. Mrs Manar didn't look up. Ms Dnalyam cleared her throat once more, loudly this time. Mrs Manar looked up sharply. She then said as she sat upright slowly, stretching like a cat, "The Suomafni Evif caused trouble again, didn't they. What is it this time? Murder? Drug dealing? Vandalism? Fight with major damages again?"

"None of them," Ms Dnalyam said. Murder? Drug dealing? Whoever they're talking about were probably dangerous teenage delinquents who rampage throughout the entire school. Possibly even worse than that. I thought of the reactions of those we've met. There was fear within all of them. They can't be talking about us... can they?

"Then?" Mrs Manar said tiredly, looking up, "Why are they here? Are they demanding I leave my position as principle again or are they make any more of those rediculous demands?"

"Neither. It's not them. These are the ones who teleported here," Ms Dnalyam said. Tele-what?

"Who are they?" Mrs Ranam- I mean- Mrs Manar asked. She adjusted her glasses as she sat up straight. Instead of a cold stare, it was tired and lazy. She looks like she wouldn't even yell at anything we do. Her face now gave a serious grave tone rather than the lazy one, alert.