Sequel: The Fifth World 2 ›
The Fifth World
Deja Vu
Bo: "Cynric, promise me you won't leave me here to die during dinner."
I have a theory that everyone in this cafeteria dining room looking thing is going to kill me. I hear whispers. See glances, everywhere I look. Am I just paranoid? Or is this really happening?
"You're talking nonsense, Bo," Cynric says and rolls his eyes.
My eyes dart around. I was expecting something like that enormous dining room in Harry Potter. It's probably half the size. And the students here definitely don't look as friends as Harry's friends.
I return my gaze back towards my plate. There is roast lamb, topped with gravy, roast potatoes, peas, carrots. It smells phenomenal. I eye the glass wine bottle in front of me, between Cynric's plate and mine. He is across from me on our large table of about thirty people. I'm guessing this is the beginners table. There aren't first years or second years of even fifth years here. Everyone is assorted according to their experience. Take myself for example, I'm a beginner. It is impossible to have everyone according to their year because everyone comes in during different times of the year. Sometimes everyday. Sometimes every week. Then there are the many tables full of the more experienced beginners, some tables of the intermediates and then the seniors.
I cannot wait till the day I'm a senior.
I look around at them, some are old, my age maybe, unless they're Angelicans... and I can even spot a thirty year old man, hell, even a fifty year old woman. I smile. I guess Fifth World Humans are discovered all the time by the government and then their information is sent to Angelicans who will then make it their purpose in bringing them back here, to their home.
"Are all these people from the Average Human World?" I ask Cynric.
He shakes his head, "no, a lot of them are but others are just like me... born and raised here in the Fifth World. Some travel halfway across this world just to come to this Academy."
I smile, "really? That's so strange, do you have countries here? What about continents?"
He shrugs, "I guess you can say we have continents. It is quite difficult to explain but I think you will learn most of it when you begin Fifth World History."
I narrow my eyes at his dinner plate, he hasn't touched his food, "are you eating at home?"
He smiles at me and shakes his head, "there are many meals that I would prepare to trade for just one meal from the Fifth World Academy. There is only one cook that can compare to the Fifth World Academy's cook. I'll save my empty stomach for that other cook later."
I smile. That's right. Tonight is my first night here. Tonight, on this night, I, myself, from the past will arrive in the streets of Hargon.
Maybe I'm already there now. I feel my mouth fall open. Oh no! I could be wandering the streets right now! Aimlessly! I look towards the big windows. Okay, it is still light outside. That's good. That's good.
"Can we leave?" I ask Cynric.
He nods his head. I push my plate into the middle of the table. Cynric and I stand up and we leave. I end up taking his wrist in my hot hand and I pull him from the room. Nobody watches. Everyone just chats and eats. I guess I am just being paranoid.
Cynric laughs when we are finally from the dining room and hurrying the long corridors of the Academy. Now, these corridors are magnificent. "What is the hurry, Bo Abshire?"
"We must get back to the room, well, you must leave."
"Is this a joke?" he asks me, his tone quite serious, I unwillingly look at him but keep pulling him along, "I thought you did not want me to leave you."
I groaned but kept moving. Within four minutes we were back to the dorm. I picked up Cynric's creamy white satchel, made from organic fabric, I threw it at him, "you must leave."
"Why?" he asks me, a strange expression on his face. And then I remember, something important he told me once, 'nobody knows exactly how time traveling works. If I tell you, it might never happen.' I close my eyes. I hate lying. Especially to Cynric. But what can I say or do? My entire life has been based upon lies.
I open my eyes again and stare at his beautiful face, "just go."
The door of the room suddenly flies open and I instinctively jump back from the freight. Cynric automatically stands in front of me but relaxes when he recognises the woman standing in front of us. The young, beautiful woman, who I know but she does not know me. She looks at Cynric with an unpleasant expression and then at me.
Janine.
"Sorry," she says although she doesn't sound quite sorry, "I'm sorry for barging in on you but the government wanted me to hand you this. It is urgent, Cynric. I think they need your help again."
I recollect myself and nervously flatten out my clothing. Cynric takes the envelope that is in Janine's pale hand and she stares at him with a strange look in her eyes. I breathe out. I know that look. If anyone knows that look, it is me. I frown. Love. She is looking at him with love.
"Janine," Cynric says, his voice toneless, "this is Bo. Bo this is Janine. I have been friends with Janine since we both attended here at the Academy."
I nod my head slowly and Janine reluctantly holds her hand out for me to shake. I take it. Cynric watches us and doesn't take notice of the urgent letter in the envelope Janine has just given to him. I watch him slip it into his satchel.
"We should probably go," Cynric says to me quietly, his hand gently touching my forearm, I notice how Janine's eyes race to his hand, there is a disturbed look to the way she is staring. I ignore it.
"Okay," I say and touch his hand, okay, I'm not just doing this to piss Janine off, I'm doing it because I actually do want but don't want Cynric to leave me. "You'll be back tomorrow morning, right?"
He smiles at me, "of course."
And then Janine walks out the door, followed by Cynric.
Day one of the Academy - complete. I turn in for an early night, I'm tired already and I'll need energy for tomorrow. I went to bed knowing... that somewhere out there... I will be meeting Janine for the first time, again, I will then meet up with Cynric and we will go to Nancy's house together for dinner - because there is no food in Cynric's house left, we ate it all, and because Nancy is an amazing cook.
I look up at the ceiling and then across the bedroom at the empty bed. I wonder where Felicity is and what she is doing. It would not surprise me if she were in the beginners common room, right now, planning my death. My eyes follow towards the window and I stare up at the big and beautiful moon.
Then there is a pulling feeling and my bed is left empty.
I have a theory that everyone in this cafeteria dining room looking thing is going to kill me. I hear whispers. See glances, everywhere I look. Am I just paranoid? Or is this really happening?
"You're talking nonsense, Bo," Cynric says and rolls his eyes.
My eyes dart around. I was expecting something like that enormous dining room in Harry Potter. It's probably half the size. And the students here definitely don't look as friends as Harry's friends.
I return my gaze back towards my plate. There is roast lamb, topped with gravy, roast potatoes, peas, carrots. It smells phenomenal. I eye the glass wine bottle in front of me, between Cynric's plate and mine. He is across from me on our large table of about thirty people. I'm guessing this is the beginners table. There aren't first years or second years of even fifth years here. Everyone is assorted according to their experience. Take myself for example, I'm a beginner. It is impossible to have everyone according to their year because everyone comes in during different times of the year. Sometimes everyday. Sometimes every week. Then there are the many tables full of the more experienced beginners, some tables of the intermediates and then the seniors.
I cannot wait till the day I'm a senior.
I look around at them, some are old, my age maybe, unless they're Angelicans... and I can even spot a thirty year old man, hell, even a fifty year old woman. I smile. I guess Fifth World Humans are discovered all the time by the government and then their information is sent to Angelicans who will then make it their purpose in bringing them back here, to their home.
"Are all these people from the Average Human World?" I ask Cynric.
He shakes his head, "no, a lot of them are but others are just like me... born and raised here in the Fifth World. Some travel halfway across this world just to come to this Academy."
I smile, "really? That's so strange, do you have countries here? What about continents?"
He shrugs, "I guess you can say we have continents. It is quite difficult to explain but I think you will learn most of it when you begin Fifth World History."
I narrow my eyes at his dinner plate, he hasn't touched his food, "are you eating at home?"
He smiles at me and shakes his head, "there are many meals that I would prepare to trade for just one meal from the Fifth World Academy. There is only one cook that can compare to the Fifth World Academy's cook. I'll save my empty stomach for that other cook later."
I smile. That's right. Tonight is my first night here. Tonight, on this night, I, myself, from the past will arrive in the streets of Hargon.
Maybe I'm already there now. I feel my mouth fall open. Oh no! I could be wandering the streets right now! Aimlessly! I look towards the big windows. Okay, it is still light outside. That's good. That's good.
"Can we leave?" I ask Cynric.
He nods his head. I push my plate into the middle of the table. Cynric and I stand up and we leave. I end up taking his wrist in my hot hand and I pull him from the room. Nobody watches. Everyone just chats and eats. I guess I am just being paranoid.
Cynric laughs when we are finally from the dining room and hurrying the long corridors of the Academy. Now, these corridors are magnificent. "What is the hurry, Bo Abshire?"
"We must get back to the room, well, you must leave."
"Is this a joke?" he asks me, his tone quite serious, I unwillingly look at him but keep pulling him along, "I thought you did not want me to leave you."
I groaned but kept moving. Within four minutes we were back to the dorm. I picked up Cynric's creamy white satchel, made from organic fabric, I threw it at him, "you must leave."
"Why?" he asks me, a strange expression on his face. And then I remember, something important he told me once, 'nobody knows exactly how time traveling works. If I tell you, it might never happen.' I close my eyes. I hate lying. Especially to Cynric. But what can I say or do? My entire life has been based upon lies.
I open my eyes again and stare at his beautiful face, "just go."
The door of the room suddenly flies open and I instinctively jump back from the freight. Cynric automatically stands in front of me but relaxes when he recognises the woman standing in front of us. The young, beautiful woman, who I know but she does not know me. She looks at Cynric with an unpleasant expression and then at me.
Janine.
"Sorry," she says although she doesn't sound quite sorry, "I'm sorry for barging in on you but the government wanted me to hand you this. It is urgent, Cynric. I think they need your help again."
I recollect myself and nervously flatten out my clothing. Cynric takes the envelope that is in Janine's pale hand and she stares at him with a strange look in her eyes. I breathe out. I know that look. If anyone knows that look, it is me. I frown. Love. She is looking at him with love.
"Janine," Cynric says, his voice toneless, "this is Bo. Bo this is Janine. I have been friends with Janine since we both attended here at the Academy."
I nod my head slowly and Janine reluctantly holds her hand out for me to shake. I take it. Cynric watches us and doesn't take notice of the urgent letter in the envelope Janine has just given to him. I watch him slip it into his satchel.
"We should probably go," Cynric says to me quietly, his hand gently touching my forearm, I notice how Janine's eyes race to his hand, there is a disturbed look to the way she is staring. I ignore it.
"Okay," I say and touch his hand, okay, I'm not just doing this to piss Janine off, I'm doing it because I actually do want but don't want Cynric to leave me. "You'll be back tomorrow morning, right?"
He smiles at me, "of course."
And then Janine walks out the door, followed by Cynric.
Day one of the Academy - complete. I turn in for an early night, I'm tired already and I'll need energy for tomorrow. I went to bed knowing... that somewhere out there... I will be meeting Janine for the first time, again, I will then meet up with Cynric and we will go to Nancy's house together for dinner - because there is no food in Cynric's house left, we ate it all, and because Nancy is an amazing cook.
I look up at the ceiling and then across the bedroom at the empty bed. I wonder where Felicity is and what she is doing. It would not surprise me if she were in the beginners common room, right now, planning my death. My eyes follow towards the window and I stare up at the big and beautiful moon.
Then there is a pulling feeling and my bed is left empty.