Page 152 of Akarnae

Darrius chuckled but he didn’t try to reassure her. “Remember,” he said instead, “Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Arena. Best to arrive a little early.”

Alex didn’t need the reminder, or the warning. She was already dreading her solo torture sessions with Karter. The only upside was that they would give her the opportunity to connect with her friends over the break. A ComTCD call was better than nothing.

“I’ll leave you to your goodbyes, and I’ll see you in a few days,” Darrius said, and he walked away from them with a parting smile.

“I guess this is it,” Alex said, looking at her closest friends in the world.Worlds. “For now, at least.”

D.C. launched herself at Alex. “You had better call or so help me—!”

“I promise, Dix,” Alex said, hugging her in return. “Every chance I get.”

“You’d better,” D.C. threatened again, before she squeezed one last time and let go.

“Come here, you,” Bear said, pulling Alex into a… well, into a bear hug. He wrapped his massive arms around her and she snuggled into his warm chest. “You look after yourself,” he said as he released her. “No more crazy adventures without us, you hear?”

“I’ll do my best,” she said.

Alex turned and found Jordan already waiting for her, his arms open wide. She walked straight into them, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For that first day. For bringing me here. For everything since then.”

“You’re welcome,” he said back, just as quietly. And then, much louder, he called out, “Did you all hear that? She just admitted to being totally and completely in love with me! I knew it!”

Alex pulled away and punched him in the arm. “Jerk,” she said, laughing.

She still had a smile on her face as she walked away from them, glancing back only once as she walked into the Tower. They were a picture of happy smiles and sad eyes. None of them wanted to part, no matter how short the time. But the joy of friendship came with difficult goodbyes, sometimes.

“See you all soon,” she called out. It was a promise they could all hold on to. That theywouldall hold on to.

Alex didn’t turn around again, instead she descended the steps down into the foyer of the Library. She waved to the librarian as she walked past and he nodded at her, his gaze grouchy as per usual but his eyes gleamed with newfound respect.

She continued walking until she reached the far staircase and headed down, concentrating on where she needed to go. The doorway appeared before her just like she’d expected, and she didn’t hesitate to open it and step straight into the darkness, immediately falling into pitch-black nothingness.

When she landed in the cavern it was exactly as she remembered, raging river and all.

“Back again, Alexandra?”

“I’m ready to go, this time,” she answered the voice.

The river stilled and the huge boulders appeared once more to create a path over the water. A doorway appeared, already open and showing her house—just like last time.

“You’ve come far,” the voice said. “And you still have far to go.”

“Believe me, I know,” Alex said, stepping carefully over the boulders until she reached the other side of the river. “Once I go through, how do I come back?”

“How did you get here?”

Alex presumed the voice was referring to her trip down into the cavern, and if that was the case then the answer was that she’d just willed it to happen.

“Are you saying that I can be anywhere, anytime, and I’ll be able to open a doorway between our worlds?” she asked.

“From Freya, yes,” the voice said. “But here in Medora, you need to be within my boundary.”

“So, I actually have to be somewhere in the Library to open doors?” Alex clarified. “It doesn’t work the other way around?”

“You can re-enter a doorway if you’ve passed through it previously,” the voice said. “You’ll discover that for yourself when you visit Meya.”

Alex’s stomach plummeted. “Come again?”

---