The Four Dimensions of Corey Emerson

Talk of Beaches

        The next morning, what I had overheard the night before was true. I had hobbled out of bed and down the stairs and outside to see the tents back up to their previous pristine working conditions and all the bodies were gone, not to mention no one seemed to acknowledge the battle. The only thing that had changed was that there was now a cage near the front doors of Camp Pine. Inside that cage was the mysterious boy, Knox. He was curled up in a ball, not paying attention to anything or anyone. I felt bad.

        Suddenly, the shouts of Anthony Pine drew my attention away from Knox's cage. He was chanting in what I guessed was Elvish to rows of suited-up warriors.

        "He's shouting about bravery..." A soft whisper came from behind me. It startled me, but not in the way it used to. A hand was placed on my shoulder. "Why is this ironic?"

        I took a deep breath and looked more keenly at Anthony Pine. "His hands are shaking... He's sweating like crazy..." I looked deeper. "He's nervous."

        "And?"

        "Afraid... He's afraid..."

        "Of what? Death?"

        "No... that something much worse could happen... He's worried about honor... He's afraid that all of these men standing on front of him do not have faith..."

        "Are you afraid?"

        I chuckled. "Of what?"

        I felt Emerson get closer to me, his head was on my shoulder and his hand was pointing towards the rows of Elves standing stiff. Towards one in particular. It was my father. 

        "Him? No... He can die for all I care... I hope something happens to him..."

        Emerson took a step backwards. I felt his aura lift. "Do you?"

        I sighed and rubbed my face. "No..." Suddenly, a pressure was relieved from my body. I turned around to face my teacher. "What just happened?" I asked blankly. 

        Emerson smiled. "You're taking control of the lack of Time in the Dimensions."

        "What?"

        "There is no Time in the Dimensions, as I'm sure you've figured out... did you wonder why so many things were happening so close together, yesterday? It's because they were all happening at almost the same time. Our brains created the concept of time, so we could comprehend everything that's going on. So much has happened in the past day, for you, because you were adjusting to the fabric of this universe. Right now, you're semi-mortal brain is adjusting to the absence of time, and is, as we speak, reforming its concept of time, so you, as I said before, can comprehend everything."

        I sort of understood. "But why did you have me just, like, analyze Pine?"

        Emerson shrugged. "The more you are aware of what is happening in these Dimensions, the less you will be taken advantage of by, say, ghosts or souls or monsters."

        Moments later, Anthony Pine's speech was over, and I tried to leave the area so my father couldn't say goodbye, but he spotted me almost immediately.

        "Hi," He muttered awkwardly. His armor was obviously wearing him down, so he crouched a little to get to eye-level with me. "Maybe, um, when I get back... we could... uh... go on our own little adventure... I'll take you to see the Beaches of Glor... Would you like that?"

        I had no idea what the Beaches of Glor were, but I nodded to make him feel better.

        My father, a tall man, bent down even more to give me the most awkward embrace ever. I hugged back but not as much as I should have. I felt a sigh from my father and a cold wetness rolling down his cheek. He was crying and mumbling something in Elvish. I did what any daughter would do. I wiped the tear off my father's face and kissed his cheek. He bowed to me and left my life as quickly as he had entered it.

        Emerson huffed and I turned back to him, smiling. "What?" I asked.

        He was frowning but as soon as I made eye contact with him. "You can't just choose, Alice..."

        "Choose?"

        "Yeah... He's your dad... there's nothing you can do about that... Just like Anthony is Athos's son... they will have that bond forever... Those two built an empire of rebels together-."

        "What are you trying to say? That I shouldn't be so horrible to the man who left me for almost ten years? I didn't even know his name until you said it! You know more about me than he does! God, Fletcher probably knows more about me than he does!"

        Emerson sighed. His eyes drifted off toward the ponds where fishers were still fishing and swimmers were still swimming. "Do you want to train a little bit?"

        I shrugged. I knew our conversation wasn't over, but it very well should have been. Emerson knew I needed to sort things out before I could progress any further in this world, but he and I both knew that that was impossible.

        I never realized until now how right Mr. Emerson was. But that the time, I didn't understand how he could understand... I mean, he was never a father- he never had a family. Despite, I knew Mr. Emerson was a smart man and he had his own weight to carry, but it couldn't have been nearly  has much as mine...

        Emerson's final words in the conversation about my father were, "You look a lot like him, you know..." This hurt me, but I didn't tell him that it did. I had a feeling he already knew.