The Secret Land of Otrâlmondé [1 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter Six

Twenty minutes. Stella wolfed down her lunch in twenty minutes—less than half the time it would usually take. Was the food that appetizing, was her appetite that ravenous, or was she simply too excited for her next lessons? It was a combination of the three. Stella helped her aunt in doing the remaining chores. She then began climbing the stairs to the upper floor.

"Where are you going?" Celestine asked.

"My room. I'd like to take a nap," Stella replied.

"Oh, okay. I was thinking if you'd like to go exploring."

Stella stopped halfway up the stairwell. "Exploring?"

"You know, a little trip. But I guess you must be tired..."

"No" —Stella raced down the stairs— "I'm not that tired. Are we going now?"

"If you're ready now, then yes."

They left the house a couple of minutes later. They took a left turn as soon as they crossed over to Otrâlmondé. As they strolled down the stone street, Stella felt that the area they were passing through was familiar. And then it hit her: this was the path that she, Jon, and Edmond took when they first passed through the portal. She looked ahead. She could make out the wide, tree-lined thoroughfare from a distance. If her memory served her right, the library she and the two boys visited was a five-minute walk from where the circular bridge was.

She remembered correctly. Stella and Celestine did come across the library, but they did not enter it. Instead, Celestine led her further down the thoroughfare. The building they were approaching was even more massive than the library, its pillars standing as tall as thirty men. Unlike the other buildings surrounding it, the cement sculptures that were carved into its walls were left unpainted. Stella glanced upwards. Engraved into the building's entablature was its name, written in large, capital letters.

THE CITY MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATIONS

The two ascended a flight of stairs and passed through a large set of wooden doors. Stella inhaled deeply—the indoor air was surprisingly fresh. Her pools of hazel then caught sight of a tiered fountain, which sat squarely in the middle of the lobby. No wonder, she thought. She glimpsed to her right side. To the right of the lobby were two long counters, each manned by a staff of four, with a sign that read "Tickets and Passes" hanging directly above one of them.

"Just wait here, I'll get the tickets," Celestine said.

Stella obliged and moved not an inch from her current spot. As she waited, she turned her head around and took in her surroundings. The floor was made out of smooth, shiny marble, complementing the creme ceiling. Brass chandeliers with dangling cut-glass illuminated the interior with pale amber light. Vibrant paintings depicting people decorated the walls, their figures so realistic that Stella had to blink twice to make sure that they were indeed illustrations. She squinted. The people in the paintings did not look like Mondénes, for their skin tones were not a gradient of hues and they were not bedecked in jewelry from head-to-toe. Yet they were not human either, for they were shown using supernatural abilities. The museum's name then popped up in her head—were they from other realms?

Celestine walked back to Stella, holding a map and two slips of glossy paper in her hand. She beckoned. "Okay, let's go."

They walked together towards the left side. Celestine handed their tickets to an officer, who tore off half of the tickets before giving them back to Celestine. The two then passed through the turnstiles. As they walked down the corridor, Celestine unfolded her map.

"So to start our tour," she said, "we'll have to go to the Gatekeeper Exhibit. Can you help me find it, please?"

Stella received the map from her aunt and scanned it. They would have to walk straight, take the third right turn, and then pass through the second entryway on the left. She looked up from her map. The exhibit must be a long walk—even the first right turn was seemed to be miles away. The two of them began walking down the hallway and made their way to the exhibit.