page 8-alone

The situation in the other room was not much better.
Liana too, could not fall asleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, a mad scientist waited behind
her closed eyelids. He giggled at her fear and laughed sadistically
as he sliced her, trying to find out how she'd somehow teleported
herself over to this misty, unpredictable planet.
Her stomach churned at the thought of school.
Not at the idea of making friends. No, she was not afraid
of that. But she was afraid they'd find out from her differences
that she was an alien to this planet.

Sure, she looked the same. Two eyes, one nose, one mouth,
four limbs and ten fingers and toes. But the way she behaved and
the names she had for certain things were totally different.

She'd found out over the past few days that she was in a planet
called Skilynes. The planet of dreams, locals called it.
Here, if you found the delicate green flower with six petals and
a pink middle called skilyne and put them under your pillow, your
dreams would come true.

I'll run. She thought.
But what about Faye? She groaned and turned to her side.

Faye. She had been so kind to her. And Faye looked and behaved exactly like
her late mother, Erita. How our protaganist never wanted to leave.
She had found her mother again, after two long years.
She knew Faye wasn't her mother. She knew it wasn't the same. But she
could pretend and she did.

Fingering the locket around her neck, she sprung open the clasp and gazed
at her mother's smiling face. It was a gift for her 10th birthday.
Erita had scraped together whatever little money she had had and bought it for her.
So that you can put in the images of those close to your heart she said.

'Mama, what should I do?' she whispered. 'I can't leave Faye. Not after what she's
done for me.'

A scarred face flashed into her thoughts. Dave.
She leaped out of bed and tiptoed to the dresser.
Opening the drawer, she found a small piece of paper with 9 numbers written on it.
She picked up the mobile that Faye had bought her. Callies, were what the natives
called them. Dialing in the number, she waited as the phone rang.

'Hello? Dave Tsubara speaking.' a rough voice answered.
'I need your help.' she whispered.
'Okay. I'm coming.' he promised.

to be continued...