AVIS IN BETWEEN (Lesbian)

Part 37 (II) AVIS IS CROSSING THE BRIDGE

Nota bene: the chapter features strong words!

Being in the Mirror at night is not as eerie as it is during the day, but the absence of sounds around other than our own voices is very annoying.

Having crossed the bridge, I know perfectly well where to go without Tia's prompting. I have already studied the town perfectly well to understand that there has never been a white three-story building in the urban garden. It unnaturally occupies the space where young apple trees should be.

"Too obvious," I grumble, squeezing Cygnie's hand tighter. Last thing I need is this silly running away somewhere again. I'd never bloody find her in the Mirror full of hiding sentinels.

"You would certainly have done everything better," my new-old sister retorts ironically.

Meanwhile, I'm having major deja vu: the conversation with her is too familiar to me. Perhaps, meeting with a person who knew me as a child and a teenager, let me finally find my bitter total recall.

"Are you not afraid of these monsters at all? Where are the guards?"

"If the mages are good enough, you don't have to stay on the watch all the time," Tia proudly states.

Inside the building, everything looks like an ordinary private house: a large hall and a central staircase in the middle; on the right hand is the semidark dining room in which several people are hovering over the map. This company looks quite bizarre. Someone is wearing clothes from my world; some people are in blue Academy tunics. Multicoloured magical pulsars illuminate the space above the table, painting the faces of those present with rainbow reflections as if they are sitting under a Christmas garland. Someone with a loud stomp runs down the stairs and hugs me, almost knocking me off my feet.

"Robin! You are... pretty alive!" I exclaim in surprise.

"The poor little man got into the Mirror and could not get out. I helped him!" Tia replies pompously.

Tania from my false memories never acted like this! This Tia is like her boasting and annoying evil twin sister.

"Have you sent word to your parents that you are safe and obviously alive?" I ask anxiously.

"Unfortunately, not, Mage Avis," the boy shakes his head ruefully. "Tia said that the signal or the portal could be intercepted. This could disrupt the entire mission. And mm..." he stammers, "...and if someone finds out that I have returned, the money they received as compensation for my death will be taken away."

I sigh heavily, looking at Cygnie, "But it is the adult mages' fault that they could not discern magical abilities in you and could not send you to study magic in time!"

Cygnie looks at me sadly. Her gaze speaks more than words: in Nefeli lands, no one cares about anything!

"How is Selina?" the boy asks me timidly, wiping away unexpected tears with his sleeve. He does it like a little brave man as if something got into his eyes. "I promised her to enter the Academy, and then make her my partner! I know that nonmages can't do this, but I was sure that I could change something!"

"That is why we are all here! We are changing the world!" Tia intervenes again.

"For now, you're just hanging out in the Mirror!" I snort. "The child should have been returned to his parents! They must have been grief-stricken. No amount of money will help to cope with this!" I look at Tia without blinking. "And you make a hell of a thing out of a thirteen-year-old boy! Who is he now? A partisan? A revolutionary?"

The boy is apparently upset by my reaction: he expected to impress me with his heroic deed, but in fact he should be at home with his parents! I take a deep breath and put my hand on his shoulder, "Selina is okay," I lie to him because I haven't seen Kal's sister since the day she helped me get ready for the Ball. "I'm sure she's in the castle now, and... and she's alright!"