Chapter 3

Alex and Sean stared at each other in shock. Not only had they been sucked into a book where they didn't know anybody, anything, or even the plot because they hadn't had the chance to read it, but Sean had just heard Alex yell for help inside his head. Could their lives get any weirder? Oh damn, they'd just jinxed themselves by asking that, even if it was only in their own thoughts.

Well... somebody had to say something, so Alex tried to answer his question. Too bad it wasn't going to be a good answer, one he'd actually like. "I don't know what's going on Sean. I'm just as lost as you are, remember? Maybe it's the plot of the book or something... you know, the hero and heroine have special powers? Or maybe everyone on the planet just has telepathy. I just don't know. If we really can talk to each other with our minds, we'd better figure out how to use it. It might come in handy. And who knows what other powers we might have?"

The thought of the two teens potentially possessing other powers made their heads spin. There were so many possibilities. Could they fly? Could they move things? Could they influence the thoughts of others? Could they perform superhuman feats of daring and bravery?

But heady as those thoughts were, it was the sobering thoughts that eventually occupied their minds. How would they be received in this strange place? Was it normal for them to have powers and special gifts here? And perhaps most importantly... what price would the possession of these gifts exact from them? There was no doubt whatsoever in either teen's mind that there would be a price to pay. For precious little comes in this world or any other for free, and even those things which are purported as 'free' have a hidden cost attached to them nine times out of ten. And the one time it doesn't have a hidden cost was because someone either couldn't think of a way to make money off of it or they weren't paying attention.

With a small sigh, Alex came out of her reverie. She looked around, then looked at Sean, who still seemed lost in thought. Determined to bring him out of it and to get on with... whatever they were doing here, she brightly said, "Come on. It looks like the stream's slightly narrower here, let's cross it and then go back downstream the way we came. I don't really want to continue to go upstream after the way that stupid frog scared the shit out of me. I swear, I'm going to be afraid of frogs for life after today."

Sean couldn't think of any objections to what she said. "All right," he agreed. "Let's take off our shoes and socks and roll up our pant legs. It won't help you much seeing as how you're already wet, but at least it'll help me and your shoes won't get more water in them. You could try carrying your shoes and socks for awhile after we get across. I don't know how soft the grass and stuff is here, but you can give it a try for a little while. And it's certainly hot enough here, so hopefully your clothes will dry soon."

Suiting actions to ideas, the two friends sat down on the blue grass and began removing their footwear. They took a brief moment to enjoy the sensation of the grass tickling their feet gently before they stood up again and began to somewhat tentatively cross the small stream of flowing water. The water was a cool and welcoming sensation on their tired feet, causing them to take longer to cross the stream than was strictly necessary.

After they finally left the water, they tarried on the bank of the river and let their feet dry. They were in no hurry after all... they had nowhere important to be. It was an odd feeling, that. Normally, human beings are busy creatures - always something to do, someone to see, someplace to be. A moment in time where a human being had nothing on their schedule for the foreseeable future was exceedingly rare and was both liberating and frightening.

When their feet were dry and Alex's t-shirt was merely damp (although her jeans were still more than uncomfortably wet), Sean put his socks and shoes back on and stood up. Alex, footwear in hand, followed suit and they began to travel back towards where they'd met the stream, only on the other side. She paid little attention to the scenery around her, keeping her concentration on the ground she was treading after the first time she'd stepped rather painfully on a stone. For the most part, the ground was fairly comfortable to walk on, but the occasional twig and stone made her watch the ground carefully to avoid hurting her feet any more than necessary.

They walked unhurriedly downstream, meandering along only slightly faster than the river flowed. They had water, the weather was warm but bearable, and the breeze was constant enough to provide them with some relief. It was fairly nice to walk around. It would have been better if they knew where they were going of course, but all in all it was pleasant. They passed the place where they had first found the stream and continued to walk in the direction the current was flowing. Alex was tempted to say that they were walking South, because that was the direction she was used to rivers flowing in, but since she'd never seen a map of this world and the river could be running diagonally North for all she knew, she was going to just stick with 'downstream' for a direction.

It really is a pretty world, Alex thought idly. Just very different. As they continued to walk, Alex tried to begin the difficult task of coming to grips with the fact that they might be stuck inside this book-created universe for the rest of their lives. It was a hard thing to even think about - let alone seriously contemplate. Alex decided after a few minutes of wrestling with facts that it would just be better to put in the back of her mind and leave it there for the situation to filter through her brain in small, easy to handle increments. Slowly coming to terms with the realization that they might never see their family or any of their other friends ever again seemed to be the best way for Alex to deal with it. So that was what she was going to do. She didn't really know how Sean was dealing with it - she sort of suspected that he wasn't, simply avoiding even facing the problem for as long as possible or until it was absolutely certain that they were never going home again. She promised herself silently that she'd be there for him when that devastating realization finally hit home and that they'd get through it together. Alex believed in preparing herself for the worst. She would be happy and pleasantly surprised if they found their way out of this story, but she also felt that she needed to be prepared in the event that they were stuck here.

The two teens continued their journey to places unknown in a comfortable, if weighted, silence. Alex and Sean were content to let the silence between them rest as other things weighed on their minds. They continued to stroll and the small white sun slowly made its way across the sky. They stopped frequently to rest and drink from the stream beside them. It was quite tranquil and after a time, the thought of the potential danger inherent to this new realm became unthinkable to the two friends and it drifted out of their minds like a wisp of fog through the trees.

It was therefore with no little amount of shock and surprise that they almost literally stumbled upon an inhabitant of their new realm. They very nearly tripped over him in fact. They'd been so absorbed in their own thoughts and the overall peacefulness of the atmosphere that they hadn't seen the entity that was standing by the bank of the stream and was just on the verge of bending over to drink.

The first indication that something was amiss became apparent when Alex let out a little, "Oh!" of surprise. This was followed by her backpedaling somewhat to avoid crashing into the creature that was suddenly right in front of her. "I'm sorry," she said reflexively, "I didn't see you there." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized that she'd just apologized to a... child?

The being before her only came up to her knees... if that. He? was thin, almost spindly, with clothing that was a mix of blue, black, and red. The clothing was obviously designed to blend in with the surrounding trees and foliage. If he hadn't been so close to the water, he could almost have been mistaken for a small shrub of some sort. As he turned to fully face them, Alex nearly gasped in surprise. His hair was gorgeous! It was that amazing shade of blonde that was so pale only babies who never saw sunlight and those utterly devoted to the bleaching process ever achieved it. Yes, it was that shade so light that only the metallic 'platinum' sufficed to describe it. His long platinum hair ended cruelly midway down his back and Alex felt as if she should protest. Surely such stunningly beautiful hair should continue to flow further down his back and ripple like a frozen waterfall that was still magically able to move. The fact that it didn't made Alex want to insist that he never cut his hair until it was much, much longer.

Alex was surprised by the color of his skin. It certainly drove home the fact that they were in a strange new place where none of the expected hues and shades of things applied. It was a shade of sapphire so dark that it was nearly ebony. His hair was only the more striking because of the contrast. It was hard to judge his age, but when his face was fully visible to the teens, it was unlined and soft, like that of a child.

The two teens were swiftly disabused of the notion that the strange being in front of them was a child, however, as soon as he opened his mouth. As soon as he was completely facing Alex and Sean, he began to berate them angrily for their actions. "What the bloody hell were you doing - trying to trample me beneath your great bloody feet? You could have at least had the decency to look where you're going!"

"Bloody dragons," he continued in a mutter, "Always think they're better than everyone because they can change form." He raised his voice again as he gave them an annoyed glare. "Well? What have you to say for yourselves?"

Sean and Alex looked at each other, a clear question of 'Who's going to answer this guy?' in their eyes. Alex was clearly designated to speak after a short battle of glares and tiny, furtive movements. "We're really sorry," she said earnestly. "We didn't mean to almost step on you. We're completely new to this world - we don't know anybody here or even where here is. We're completely lost and have no idea how to get home or anything about this world. Could you possibly help us? We really didn't see you there until it was almost too late. We're used to things being a little taller where we come from... at least when it comes to people to talk to that would object to being trod upon."