The Girl of Many Worlds | (Story formerly known as "Multiworldcial")

Chapter 11

My eyes widened in shock. "An elevator? I wouldn't have even known nor thought—!"

"Amazing, isn't it?" He stepped in, beckoning for me to follow. I did, excited to see more of the interior. The walls were pristine white and black, two sides being white and two black. There were only two floors and a button for each, one for up and one for down. They were red with white arrows on them. He pressed the down button and then the doors closed.

The descent was so quick that I felt it in my stomach briefly before I got accustomed to it. I gripped the pole that lined the back wall for support. Zander was unphased, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Watch this," he said. He pressed another button, different from the rest. It was still red and white, but the symbol inside was just a square. He pressed it and the walls around him made a clicking noise before sliding open. Glass remained in its place and made visible our descent into a bright, spacious, open cavern. Two suns were in my eyes and I had to squint to get a better look.

There were houses in the diminishing distance, what looked to be a market and a market square, and people walking around below. My mouth opened in awe. There was a whole refuge right beneath us, tucked away in the castle where no one would've even thought to look.

We finally touched down on the ground and the doors spread open. Zander walked out, me close behind him. The air down here was surprisingly fresh and crisp. The aroma of honeysuckle flooded my nose. I inhaled deeply and let out a satisfied sigh.

I glanced up at the two suns in the sky while shielding my eyes with my hand. They looked and felt like actual suns—like some form of heat really was emanating off of them.

The outer parts of the town were green (from what I saw on our way down) and the inner parts were covered with cobblestone in some areas and dirt in others. We walked by the houses whose architecture resembled that of those in medieval times.

We stopped at a house with a small little garden in front of it. Zander looked up at one of the windows on the second floor called, "Maya! Would you come down?"

A beautiful tiger poked her head out the window. Her whiskers bristled in the breeze as she stared down at us. Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Just one second!" She disappeared from view.

"That's my wife," Zander said happily. "Obviously."

A few seconds later she opened the front door with her arms wide open. She and Zander embraced and pressed their noses together. I shifted uncomfortably as I smiled at them. I felt out of place but also couldn't go anywhere to let them have their moment.

She turned to me and although she was wearing a blouse and flowy pants, she curtsied. "Queen Jade. It's truly an honor."

"Oh, thanks," I said, curtsying back.

"How has my dear husband been treating you?" she asked. She placed her paw on his chest and leaned into him. His arm wrapped around her waist.

"He's been very great," I said truthfully. "I'm really homesick but he's helped make this transition so much easier."

She smiled appreciatively at him before looking back at me. "So, have you decided what you plan to do here? Will you take up work in our town?"

"Oh uh... I hadn't even thought about it." I glanced around at some passing villagers. Some stopped to see who I was, whispering to each other as they did. I looked back at Zander nervously.

"You're a new face," Zander explained. "Everybody knows everybody here."

"You won't be a new face anymore once you take up a job," Maya pushed. "You'll fit right in. That'll help with your homesick feeling, too! You just have to make some friends."

Friends with people down here? I hadn't even thought about that. I guess it'd do me some good. I'd lose my mind if I stayed up in the castle all the time.

"Let's go meet more people," Maya said.

She led us down the paved road, away from their house. The other houses around me gradually shaped into businesses. People walked in and out of them, buying items or selling to those who wanted them. Too many times they'd pause to glance at me. I averted my gaze.

"What job do you think you'd enjoy here? We have a lot of similar jobs to Earth. Teaching in a school—which you'd be adored for your stories from another realm—we also have janitorial work, welding, writing, cooking—"

"I'd cook," I said eagerly. Cooking was a lowkey passion of mine. I could cook and did cook a lot back home, but I never made it obvious how happy I was to do it. It's not like I had no reason to, I just never thought to seriously pursue it.

My food was good, too. Maybe if Mercury hadn't taken away my life, I'd be a chef. At NYU—my dream school I'd gotten into—I'd eventually shift majors from whatever boring one I'd decide on, to the culinary arts. I'd graduate and immediately find different jobs. Potentially even be on Hell's Kitchen, although I heard the rewards they're offered—like becoming a Head Chef—were actually something lame like being the Sous chef instead. But anyway, after gaining experience, maybe I'd have my own business and be then be the head chef...

Those dreams weren't a reality anymore, though.

"What'd you cook back home?" Zander asked. "Any specialty dishes?" I returned my attention to them and shrugged.

"I didn't really have any specialty dishes but I did cook a variety of things." I started listing out a bunch of foods belonging to the different cultures back on Earth like chicharrón de pollo, pernil, soup dumplings, arroz con gandules, kielbasa with pierogis and stuffed cabbage, chicken tikka masala... and so much more. My dad liked to appreciate any and every culture by means of their food. I felt like my dad gave me a taste of the world, every time we were in that kitchen with each recipe he taught me.

The homesick feeling returned.

"You'll make a great head chef," Maya said. Head chef? I didn't get to ask what the heck she was talking about before she continued. "That food all sounds so delicious. Pork dishes are a delicacy here. We try not to have them too often, but when we do, they're always a town favorite." I just had more and more questions. A town favorite? Did the whole town eat at the same time or something? And again... me? Me as head chef?

I wanted to ask but way too many eyes were on me. I felt like I'd be judged for not knowing even though I'd have absolutely no way of knowing in the first place. I kept quiet and walked on.

~~

Author's Note: I hope whoever reads this, you're enjoying the story so far! Usually I have a lot of issues with rushing through my stories and I learned with so much trial and error of this book that I have to take it slow. It's going to get good, I promise, and I hope you'll stick around for the ride! My goal is to update at least once a week, but I've been able to update two or three times per week at the pace I'm going, so yay 😁 please vote and comment!

Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think the village people think of Jade?