The Four Dimensions of Corey Emerson

Athos Amiss

        I handed the small child over to Fletcher who quickly found its mother. While doing so, the hunk that belonged to the black-haired girl patted my back. I jumped.

        "His name is Landon," he smiled. I almost fainted. He looked better up close. He held out his hand, I reached out to shake it a little too quickly. "I'm Adophin... that girl you saw me with earlier, her name is Marvel. Marvel Castello."

        "Do you have a last name?"

        "Oh, no, we don't have last names here."

        "Then why does she?"

        "Because she made up her own name."

        "Ah..."

        The Elf tucked his shoulder-length blonde hair behind his ears and led me back up to the castle. He and the other elves seemed to completely forget a battle had just taken several of their kinsmen. 

        "Why aren't you guys freaking out about the battle?" I asked as we made our way up the grand staircase in the entrance hall.

        Adophin shrugged. "Because Camp Pine is all about peace. Anthony and Athos may seem grumpy all the time, but they mean well. The two of them formed this great encampment. We face those trying to take over every other moon, this little 'battle' as you call it was as refreshing as a glass of water."

        Sort of understood. "So are you guys like Buddhists or something?"

        "Buddhists?" Adophin frowned. "Here, that is a grainy red vegetable..."

        "Oh, then nevermind... Are guys, like, pacifists?"

        Adophin shrugged again, "I'd like to think so." We had finally made it to my room.

        "This is me," I muttered, but Adophin had already opened the door, gesturing me inside. I obliged. "This has been a whacky day," I laughed, trying to lighten the mood with the unbelievably attractive stranger. As soon as I hobbled into bed, fully clothed in the gross, bloody clothes I fought in, I realized that I had just been going through the motions. So many things had happened, that day, and I was letting them all just occur. I thought my head was going to explode. I could feel myself hyperventilating.

        "Hey, hey, calm down!" Adophin chuckled nervously, putting his hand up to my head for a temperature check. 

        A second later, a small dark-skinned woman burst into my bedroom. "Oh no no no no NO!" She shrieked, grabbing me by the arms and jerking me out of bed. She snapped her fingers and a pair or seemingly warm pajamas materialized in my hands. Shoving me off into a nearby closet and shutting the door, I suspected the strange woman wanted me to change.

        As I did so, I overheard her conversation with Adophin.

        "Tru, what's wrong?!" Adophin laughed. "Calm down!"

        "How-how-how can I calm d-d-down?! Athos is... is... MISSING!"

        I heard no noise from the other side of the door. Suddenly Adophin got monotone. "What do you mean, he's missing?"

        "I mean," Tru piped up, "that apparently he was captured!"

        "By who?! By whoever that Knox was with?!"

        "I- I don't know, but Anthony is already rounding up troops to pick up on the trail of the harpies who escaped... see if they have him..."

        I crouched in the closet to hear Adophin and Tru better.

        "I don't understand... Athos would never allow himself to become that vulnerable... Something's wrong..."

        At that very second, I tumbled out of the closet, apparently pushing to hard on the knob. I just stayed on the floor, crossing my legs. It was so obvious that I was eavesdropping I didn't even try to hide it. "Where's Mr. Emerson?" I asked, one, trying to change the subject, and two, I actually cared.

        "He's still talking with Anthony, my darling," Tru faked a smile, helping me off the floor and into bed. Her frail, old body made me feel like an Olympic weightlifter.  

        I had no idea how she and Adophin expected me to go to sleep. "If you see him again, tonight, could you send him up?"  It was then I acknowledged how shorter the days were in the Dimensions.

        Adophin and Tru nodded, leaving the room at the same time.

        Emerson never stopped in, that night, but neither did my father... for that, at least, I was thankful...