JessicaRae

Hey all! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to read this! I've been having a lot of fun writing it this last week and it is seriously exciting seeing the responses I've been getting! Now comes the shameless request though, If you haven't yet, please leave some comments and a rating! I would love to see my story get some traction in the Algorithm. Also to note, I am somewhat interested in getting some cover art done up! If you have any interest, please send me a message!

My badly needed sleep was completely ruined with a vengeance the next morning by a piercing shriek and a crash of glass. I shot upright in my borrowed bed and attempted to find the source, my mind racing to catch up with the fact that I was suddenly awake and in this place. Yup, I was still in the apartment and likely still in New York City. Luckily it only took me a bare moment to process everything. The main differences were the light shining in the windows and the little girl  still in her nightgown screaming bloody murder and looking at me while standing in the center of a puddle of water and what was likely the remains of a glass bottle. That made it rather obvious where the sound had come from. The light was still fairly low, but I could see that her feet were dangerously close to an especially large shard. I stood up to try and help her keep her feet unscathed when her screams started anew.

“Mommy!! Daddy! Stranger Danger!!” Oh god… I really hoped that the walls could absorb that, otherwise Grace was going to be dealing with some very angry neighbors. I wished that I had walls around my head at the moment though, that little girl had pipes that a church organ would be jealous of. Thankfully, I was saved from my misery by the near slamming of the door behind me. 

“Yanna, it’s okay, I'm here.” Grace’s voice didn't hide how tired she was still, but held all of the strength and authority of a mother seeing her child in need. When she passed by the couch, she was still pulling on her robe, but her arms were soon wrapped lovingly around the girl. I felt a bit of jealousy watching it all, honestly. 

“There’s a weird man on the couch though! And he’s wearing your shirt!” I was wearing her shirt? What? Why?

“Arianna, it’s okay. He is a guest. He needed help and I let him in last night. You remember what we are supposed to do for people in need, right?” 

The girl nodded, still uneasy about the stranger in her home, but showing a bit more confidence after her mother’s reassurance and explanation. “We help them because we never know when we might need help ourselves.”

“That’s right. That’s my girl.” Grace was honestly amazing to watch. She was in control of the situation immediately and not only defused tensions, but already had her daughter smiling again. Not many young parents seemed to have that kind of, well, grace. She planted a kiss on the girl’s head and pulled her gently up and away from the broken glass, setting her down again out of harm’s way. “Arianna, this is Allan. I found him in the park last night. And he is wearing my old shirt because your father didn't have one that was going to be comfortable for him to sleep in.” The girl nodded in understanding as Grace shot me an apologetic look. I was still confused, but the explanation was obviously as much for the little girl as it was for me and it did clarify things a bit. “Now be nice and apologize.”

“Hello, Mr. Allan. My name is Arianna. I’m sorry I screamed at you.” The girl looked abashed as she spoke and my heart melted just a bit. That kid was too cute for her own good, and I didn’t even usually like children all that much. 

“It’s nice to meet you Arianna. I’m sorry for scaring you. Let’s say that it’s all forgiven and we can move on, okay?” This got a solid nod from the child and a beaming smile, one front tooth prominently missing. Oh boy, this kid was too much. I had no choice but to return the smile before looking up to her mother. “And sorry to you too, That mess is kind of my fault. I can clean it up if you’ll show me the paper towels and a broom.”

Grace chuckled wryly at the offer, but Arianna’s reaction was what really blew my mind. “Why would you have to do that, silly? Mommy can just clean it up with her magic!” The girl giggled and looked up to her mother who put a hand to her own forehead, rubbing at her eyes. 

I had to chuckle at the child’s obvious fantasies. “Just point me to the broom and a towel. I’ll take care of it. Kids and their wild imaginations, eh?”

“No, Allan, she was right. I can do that.” I froze in place, bewildered by the outlandish utterance. But I was put in his place almost immediately as Grace noticed my expression and responded by turning and holding out her hand, two fingers outstretched. I could almost see it in slow motion, her hand slowly moving in a horizontal circle before her fingers turned over and pulled up, motioning towards the trash bin, her eyes giving off a soft glow all the while. Incredibly, the puddle of spilled water pulled back on itself and rose in a bubble of hovering water, the shards of glass contained within. When it had reached the bin, Grace’s other hand twitched downward and the shards fell out of the floating orb of water into the bin below. A quick wave of the hand sent the water rushing into the sink, draining into the pipes beneath.  

The words tumbled out of my mouth with no direction. “Th-that… that isn’t possible…” Fear and panic set in once more to my poor abused mind as the seemingly impossible image burned itself in my memory. Suddenly without prompting, all of the oddness I had witnessed the night previous was flashing through my mind’s eye. The floating lights, the strange looking people, the door lock! Even the portal that took me here! It was all- 

“Magic…” 

And with that, my mind knew no more.

The next thing I knew was that my head hurt, badly. Attempting to open my eyes proved to be possible, but my vision was blurry, clouded by pain. When it came into focus I was staring straight up, Grace’s face the only thing blocking my line of sight to the ceiling. 

“Allan? You in there?” I groaned in response. “Here, you whacked your head pretty hard when you went down. Drink this.” 

With a bit of help from her, I sat up enough that I could take the small cup that was no bigger than a shot glass. Inside was a bright red liquid that my mind immediately equated to a health potion from any video game ever. Turns out my silly conclusion was fairly spot on, though. After a moment’s hesitation, I shot the glass and resisted the urge to slam it on the coffee table. The liquid poured down my throat, leaving behind a surprisingly fruity aftertaste. Almost immediately after the stuff hit my stomach, a cold tingle resonated through my body, eventually focusing on my aching head. Suddenly, all of the aches and pains from the two days of travel faded and my head experienced blissful relief from the sledgehammer that pounded away at it from the inside of my skull. The headache was still there, but nowhere near as bad. I was able to sit up the rest of the way after that and my still blurred vision was able to refocus so that I could see again without clutching my head in pain. 

“Whoa. That was some good tylenol you got there.” I shifted on the couch where I had apparently been placed. My hand rubbed at the sore spot on the back of my cranium, but felt no bumps or blood. "So… magic is real?" It was obvious at this point what the answer to the question was, but I needed the confirmation.

Grace pursed her lips slightly and nodded, seeming to await my reaction. 

"Then I'll guess that what I just drank was some sort of pain relief potion?" Another nod. "Wow. Okay then. I suppose that explains a few things. Those people last night walking down the street last night, they weren't actually humans were they?" A negative response this time. "Wow. Just… wow." It was my honest feelings at the time, and there was no denying them. The thought of magic was exciting, but after believing for all of my life previously that such a thing was the thing of fairy tales and fantasy hadn’t at all prepared me for seeing the real thing.

Grace gave a few moments to let all of that sink in. "I would assume, judging by your reaction to all of this, that there isn't really any magic where you're from." When I shook my head, Grace nodded. "I suspect then that you stumbled across a naturally occurring doorway between worlds. They are rare, but do occur. I would imagine that they are even more rare on planes lacking magic. We were always told that such things were possible, but I've never met someone who had actually experienced it. I kinda figured you were an accidental traveller last night when you mentioned the door, but I didn't realize that you were unfamiliar with the mere concept of magic. You seemed so passive at the sight of the mage lights and non humans last night, I just assumed that you knew. I began to suspect when you cracked that joke about people not believing that you had teleported that far, but that was really only confirmed with how you reacted to my daughter saying that I could just magic away the mess."

I listened with complete attention. What she was saying made a lot of sense, even if it was completely mind blowing to hear. An entirely different world was really the only explanation that fit all of the evidence I had witnessed. But as Holmes had said, eliminate the impossible and whatever is left, however improbable, must be true. All evidence suggested that I was really here, seeing all of these things. So it couldn't be a dream or hallucination. It was ridiculous to think that all of this was somehow some kind of production. Technology couldn't reproduce these effects in real life at home. So that only left the one option. I had crossed over to a different plane of existence. Just like Grace was saying.

I was in awe as she spoke. "That is incredible. Last night I had just assumed that I was hallucinating or not seeing things correctly. I never would have believed you until I saw you clean that mess. Is that difficult, by the way? Can just anyone learn magic like that?"

"Some things, yes. Nearly anyone with the right knowledge can use a small bit of magic. What I can do though requires a bit more than that however. I was born into my power by way of my parents. Anyone with significant ability can usually trace their lineage back to someone non human that granted their bloodline its power. Humans make up the majority of the population of the world though. They simply breed faster and, due to the technology available these days, really can't be matched by any but the most powerful sorcerers living. We live in peace these days. But it wasn't always like this. Wars have been fought dozens of times through the ages in someone's grab for power. It's how people are." I couldn't disagree with that. “There is still some definite issue with species based discrimination, but we are dealing with it as well as we can.”  

The implications of that were exciting, but I tempered my reaction."What honestly amazes me is that things are still so similar. I mean, this is New York City. I've been to this city before, in my own world. I couldn't begin to navigate it so I don't know how exact the similarities are, but things line up pretty closely so far as I can tell. And I think I saw a US flag, so that means that this country exists more or less the same as it does at home. It's crazy. If we have time later, it could be interesting to take a look in a library to learn how close the histories line up.”

My line of thought and that conversation were pulled to a stop as the master bedroom door opened. The man that walked through must have been Grace’s husband. He had obviously just showered and was still pulling down his t-shirt over the waist of his jeans as he walked out. He was taller than my six foot frame by another couple inches and was built leaner as well. I guessed that was the reason that none of this guy’s shirts would fit me. He walked over and kissed Grace full on as if I weren’t there. I actually found it kinda cute. Turning to me, he spoke. His voice was even and carried no malice, which was encouraging to me as an unexpected guest in his home. 

So, you must be Allan! Gracie told me she had dragged home a lost puppy last night. You were a bit unconscious when I came out for breakfast though.” The smile on the man’s face betrayed a bit of humor at my personal expense. “Glad to see that you are up and about again though. Sorry I wasn’t out sooner. I needed a shower before I headed downstairs to get the kitchens ready for the day. My name’s Andrew Vellenor, but please, just call me Ace. Andrew sounds a bit too stuffy for my tastes.” He stuck a hand out and I grasped it in greeting. The guy had a strong grip.

“Your wife here has really been incredible to me last night and this morning. She has explained a lot and blown my mind in ways I still can’t really quite comprehend. Thanks for lending me the shorts by the way, however unknowingly it might have been. Oh, and Grace?” I turned to her.

Before I could even pose my question, Grace held up a hand and spoke up apologetically. 

“Sorry about that. You are a bit larger in build than Ace there.” A deeply repressed part of my mind winced at that. “He generally wears tighter shirts too, so even the few pyjama shirts he owns would probably be too tight for comfort on you. So, I lent you one of the oversized shirts I still have from when I was pregnant. It hung on me like a tent on the days I couldn't stand to get dressed properly so I figured it would be okay for you. Don’t worry though, we will get your things washed and you won’t have to wear it anymore. And if we don’t, I’ll just run to the wall-to-wall-mart and pick you up one. Might need to do that anyways depending on how long you are stuck here. I’ll be getting a hold of my parents today to get their help in finding a way to get you home.” 

“Thanks.”

Ace clapped a hand on my shoulder, grinning. “Don’t worry about it, my dude. We are always willing to help out someone in need. Especially someone as lost as you. When Grace explained to me who you were and what you had gone through, I knew that we needed to help. No way could we leave you on the streets. The police around here are usually half decent but they aren’t always very kind to the out of towners if you catch my meaning. You here with no I.D. and no contacts would be a recipe for disaster. Grace’s parents should be able to help out and, if nothing else, her father has some major pull in the council. They should be able to get you a visa for temporary residence. That will establish some identity for you here until we can get you home. Admittedly, this whole world jumping thing is beyond me, but between her parents and the bookworm squad with the council, you should be in good hands. For now though, welcome to Queens.” Ace turned to Grace. “I’m going to head down to start the prep grill. See you soon, love?” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before opening another door I hadn't noticed before in the corner of the living room. It almost looked like a closet, but was obviously a small stairway leading down to lower floors of the building. 

After Ace left I turned my gaze back to Grace. “So is the bar you work at downstairs? Pretty nice of the owners to rent this apartment to you. This place is huge and actually really homey. I can’t imagine what this place must cost in rent.” Open mouth, insert foot.

Grace laughed at that. “No , hun, we are the owners. We own the entire building in fact. Between my parents and a good friend of ours, money isn’t at all an issue. And there are actually two bars beneath us right now. The ground floor is a bit more traditional and is run by Krystal, my other partner. You’ll probably meet her when she gets back from bringing Ari to school. Of course, on the topic of family, my eldest daughter will be home this evening as well. She was at a friend’s house for a sleepover last night. Her name is Ariel, she’s eight. I run the bar in the basement. We cater to the magical community down there, so things are a lot different than the Top Shot. I’ll show you around here in a bit if you’d like.” I nodded, the prospect of visiting a place like that sounded dang cool. 

“I’m about to make lunch and grab my own shower before opening time. There should be a towel you can use for your own shower in the hall bathroom cabinet. There are some generic soaps and shampoo in there too that I keep for when we have guests. I’ve already got your clothes in the wash so they should be ready by the time you are out and dry. Keep the shorts for now but toss my shirt in the laundry basket, I'll get you something else to wear tonight. I just didn't really have the time nor energy to find something better for you last night, sorry.” Her face showed her apologetic attitude pretty clearly, but I didn’t really require it at all.

Without even meaning to, a few thoughts that should have been locked away in a deep dark corner of my mind shot from my mouth with no chance for my rational mind to stop them. “Actually uh, c-can I keep using it? It was really comfy last night and well… I like the fabric.” The last part was barely more than a mutter coming from my at this point blushing face, but Grace apparently had heard me anyways.

An eyebrow rose slightly, but she made no move to tease or condemn the request. In fact, when she spoke again, it was as if the request was perfectly reasonable. “Yeah, sure. You can wear it again if you want. I always loved wearing the oversize sleep shirts too. The material is usually super soft and the size just allows me to bundle up and be comfortable. It was great when I was in the early stages of pregnancy because I could wear it and not have to look at how fat I was getting.” Her expression showed the humor that she felt at the memory, but her eyes searched the person in front of her. 

My oblivious self missed all of that however, simply glad that she hadn’t called me out for being weird. I forced the tension out of my shoulders, I didn't want her to catch on after all. Idiot. “Thank you. I’ll try not to ruin it.” The woman across from me seemed to accept that. I didn’t know what else to say at that point though. “I uh, guess I’ll go take that shower now.” 

Grace, bless her heart, just smiled. “You do that then. I’ll prep some lunch and leave it on the counter for you when you get out. Just shout if you need something!” She stood and moved to the kitchen, slipping her robe off and draping it over a chair. She started digging into the refrigerator before I tore my gaze away. She was far too nice for me to be perving on her like that. For some unfathomable reason though, my heart still wasn’t satisfied by that explanation, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that obviously. When would it be then, ya dingus? In the meantime, I needed to scrape two days of accumulated sweat and grime from my disgusting body.