It is your destiny - book two of the You can't run forever series.

Chapter 4 - Katy can do it

"Cassandra?" Katy gave me a quick hug. "How can you speak?" I asked amazed. "That's not the right question, Cassie" said Katy with a quiet laugh, "you should be asking me how I got my voice back". "Yes, yes, whatever, just tell me all the juicy gossip" I said overdramatically. Katy laughed. She pulled me down the corridor and into a large office. "My workplace" she said, gesturing proudly to the golden 'head nurse' plaque. I looked around. There was a large glass desk with stacks of blindly white paperwork and little pink china ornaments everywhere. I spied a pink cat shaped pencil holder with the words 'Katy cat' in the far corner. "Is that like a new nickname for you?" I teased. "No silly, Toby made it for me before he became so busy with his work" Katy told me. "Work? being a temporary taxi driver never stopped him before" I joked. "Oh, I forgot you weren't here, it doesn't seem like you've been gone for nearly three years" Katy turned to observe me closely, "Toby started to advocate for people's rights, he became a government representative for Derenea and he's working on creating more jobs for them". I tried to hide my surprise. I had never thought about Toby being so involved with politics. He had always been content with taking care of Katy. "Wait, did you just say it's been nearly three years?" I stared at Katy waiting for a reply. "Of course" she said surprised, "how long has it been in the other world? you've hardly aged!". "It's been nearly three years as well, actually to be exact, two years, 11 months and 23 days" I replied. "Oh! I remember, Camabella said that since so many people went through the portal, the worlds have somehow come into balance, the same amount of time passes here and there, travelling between both worlds just makes the connection stronger" Katy looked relieved, "When I was talking to Liam on the phone he was mentioning how he was able to make phone calls into your world". They were all keeping contact with one another? I was a little hurt, no one had tried to keep in touch with me, It's not like they had the excuse ' you live in a completely different world'. Katy picked up on my quietness. "Everyone thought you would prefer to be left alone, since you were having such a good time with Abe in his time, how is Abe by the way?" she said politely. I told her about our engagement and how I had broken it, Liam's reaction, meeting Tamara, and the next two years of my life. "Well Liam was acting strange when he came through the portal" said Katy, shrugging her shoulders, "he was all heartbroken and stuff, I wouldn't think too much about it though, I mean after a year back in Gwela, he was all happy and elated again". Probably because he realised he didn't have to leave his mother forever, I told myself happily. "He was seriously heartbroken?" I asked guiltily. "Yep" said Katy, beginning to put her paperwork in piles. "You never told me how you got your voice back" I said mysteriously, trying to make conversation again. Katy and I had a lot to catch up on and I was determined not to let our chat go to waste. "It wasn't like I summoned a magical fairy or drank a magical potion or something" Katy let out a low pitched snort, "about six months ago, a doctor came back from treating some patients from far far away and he had discovered an ancient healing method". Katy stared at the ceiling in memory, "we weren't sure how successful it would be, but I volunteered to be the first patient, the healing method only works on 0.2 percent of the population in Livarulu and I was lucky to be one of them". "Sounds like a fairytale" I teased, guessing who the unnamed doctor was. Katy snorted again, "hardly, Floy.. the doctor is sooo annoying he follows me around like a lost puppy, sometimes I want to say something spiteful but I remember he just wants to help find a worldwide cure and introduce it to the rest of the world" Katy sighed, putting a hand on a pink water bottle with a white unicorn on it, " I have to drink some of this medicated formula every three hours,and so I don't risk mucking up the trial, I prefer to only talk when I have to, or for work". Katy checked her watch, "but as you can tell, my voice is barely over a whisper, it's supposed to improve over time, apparently, according to Floy.. the doctor". I laughed, "I've already met Floyd, and seen his inner lost puppy, whenever someone mentions your name". I laughed again and Katy rolled her eyes. "You know Cassandra" she said peering at me, "you seem so different from your old self, you vibrate happiness and freedom".