Novel Jumper

Epilogue

 Lilia smoothed out the already crinkled wrapping covering the book and stared up at the tiny, ramshackle house before her. She glanced at the scrap of paper in her hand to confirm she had the right address, even though she knew she did. Then, she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, hiding the package behind her back.

A woman answered with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth and holding a screaming three-year-old. "Yeah?" she snapped impatiently.

"Can I speak with" - Lilia checked her paper again even though she had long ago memorized everything on it - "Katie?"

The woman turned and yelled into the house, from which another crying child could be heard, "KATIE! GET DOWN HERE!"

"WHAT?" someone screamed in response, and there was a brief clattering on the stairs before a girl with bleach blond, braided hair and several nose piercings entered the doorway beside her mother.

"This girl wants to talk to ya," the woman - probably her mother - told her brusquely before turning around and walking toward the source of the second crying child without so much as a glance in Lilia's direction.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Katie asked, obviously confused.

"No," Lilia replied simply, handing her the package with instructions. "Don't unwrap this in front of your family, or anyone, for that matter. When you do, don't read it until you're someplace they can't find you, understand?"

Katie stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. "Um, no. What - "

"It's just a book, Katie." Lilia's lips curved into an ironic smile. "Just a book."

"Uh, okay." As Lilia started to walk away, Katie called after her desperately, "Who are you?"

"A friend," Lilia replied, turning around and flashing a grin at the girl before spinning on her heel and leaving Katie gaping in the doorway.

*

Lilia's palms sweated as she shifted from foot to foot in front of the large red door. She raised a hand and then, before she could lose her courage, rapped twice loudly.

The door almost immediately opened by a girl with long, black hair and a large neck tattoo. "Can I help you?" she asked, her tone already implying that she assumed Lilia was a solicitor.

Lilia merely dug in her back pocket and handed the girl the news article. "Theresa Conan, seventeen, miraculously reappears after two years missing," she recited from memory. "Quite the story."

Theresa looked up at her with a growing suspicion in her eyes. "Who are you?"

Lilia reached into her bag and pulled out the book, the one that had started it all. Theresa reacted entirely unlike Lilia had expected her to; she backed up, staring distrustfully at the book.

"I'm Lilia Well," Lilia said softly. "I'm kind of the reason you died."

Theresa gasped as understanding fell over her. "You're - you're the girl - "

"Whose address you woke up with in your back pocket, yeah," Lilia finished for her. "Theresa, we need to talk. About Connor."

Theresa held up a hand. "No. No, we do not." Her voice had a hint of pleading in it.

Lilia nodded. "Yes, we really do."

"No, I know what you're going to say already. Please, just - please put the book away."

Confused, Lilia did as she was ordered and waited.

"I thought I loved Connor," Theresa said after a moment with a sigh, in a low voice so they couldn't be overheard. "Hell, I did for a while. But then I came back here, to Earth, and saw how much my absence had impacted my family, everyone in my community, for that matter - " Theresa sighed again and ran a hand through her hair. Lilia wondered if she had picked up the habit from Connor. "I'm living here now. For good. Being in Dwirinel for so long made me realize how much I value my life here. I am so, so grateful to you for coming to me, trying to help - but in fact, I've moved on. And I know Connor didn't love me." Theresa searched her face for a second and smiled ruefully at what she found. "He loves you, doesn't he?"

Lilia nodded wordlessly, guilt twinging at her heart.

"I'm happy for you." Theresa's words sounded truly sincere. Then, she said in a dryly humorous tone, "Have you read the new Star of Winter book? The first one told the truth so accurately - "

Lilia chuckled and shook her head. "And the second one doesn't. At all."

"Well, it couldn't, seeing as I'm still the main character," Theresa said, laughing as well.

"I honestly can't really enjoy the series anymore. Not now that I've actually been in Dwirinel."

The girls stood in companionable silence for a little bit before Theresa remembered her manners and gestured into the house behind her. "Do you want to come in? We have soda and stuff..."

"Actually, I have to get home. My parents think I'm at the library and it takes a half hour to take a taxi here." Lilia shrugged. "As it is, I'm going to be late for dinner."

"Oh. Okay." Theresa nodded understandingly. "Goodbye, then."

"Goodbye." Lilia turned to go.

"Oh, and Lilia?" Theresa called.

"Yeah?" Lilia turned back to face her.

"Thank you so much."

The two girls smiled at each other, a deep understanding passing between them. And with that, Lilia left the house of her favorite fictional character and headed home.

*

Lilia gasped as she landed on all fours, her hair falling in her face and her vision blurry. She could only hope that the book had spit her out in a location she was even remotely familiar with, but right now, she had to worry about battling nausea and a headache.

There was a slight movement in a bed to her right, and she pulled herself to her feet, grinning at the shock of the boy who had just been awoken by her sudden arrival. Two simple words spoken by a familiar, husky voice were music to her ears.

"Wolf cub?"