Songbird

4, in which I meet Matthew.

     I woke up under the covers; a clean set of clothes sat nearby. They fit much better, though were exactly the same as the previous set. As I buttoned up the shirt, I kicked the food stained one a bit, hoping no one would mind that I left them on the floor.

     That isn't a floor.

     That thought broke whatever illusion had kept me ignorant. I stumbled back, tracing the grain lines of the table with my eyes. The edge looked a mile away. My eyes darted around. I must have been in the center, each side far away. A fresh plate of fruit sat nearby, most of them as large as my torso, even after being sliced smaller.

     Tentatively, I let myself focus beyond my perch.

     It was... calming, oddly enough. A small kitchen and dining area, but only one door and no windows. It felt... warm and secure.

     My heart began to race when I heard voices outside. A lock shifted on the doorknob before it turned slowly. I looked around again and stumbled my way behind a bowl that sat as a centerpiece. I sat against it, shivering in terror.

     The door closed. Silence fell for what felt like an eternity.

     "Hello."

     I panicked, looking all around me. I realized the voice had come from the doorway. Against my better judgement, I relaxed as I realized it was the same voice as before. Slowly, I peeked around my hiding spot.

     I finally saw my ... rescuer? Entirely. Thin, brown hair, brown eyes... and a jacket despite the relatively warm room. He seemed content to stay where he was, looking at me with a bit of expectation, a drop of hope, all atop the most patient expression I had ever seen.

     He wanted me to move first, but had no thought to push me.

     I let out a huff, trying to shake the last bit of fear from my mind, before I walked out from behind the bowl. He offered a soft smile.

     "Is it alright if I come over there?"

     Holy shit, he's asking permission!?

     I attempted sound. It didn't happen. I debated for a moment, unsure if he'd see me nod.

     He did and took about two steps before I regretted my answer. It's one thing to see giants from inside a cage, and a completely different thing to be face to face, no barriers. To his credit, the man stopped when I fell back a few paces. He waited, hands in his pockets. Once my heart calmed down, I nodded again. He finished closing the distance and knelt down, bringing his eyes down to me. I had to take a moment to comprehend it. The Phantom never came to my level – I had to go to his. The man in front of me let me come out of my own thoughts before speaking.

     "My name's Matthew. I'm sure there's a lot of questions on your mind, but let's focus on getting you healthy first, okay?"

     I nodded. Wasn't like I could ask anything anyway.

     "You'll probably hear people outside, but I'll be the only one coming in for now."

     For some reason, that made me flop back in relief. He held up a finger for me to wait – where did he expect me to go? - and stood. Somehow, it was much less terrifying this time. He moved around the kitchen to find something. I let my attention fall to my nearby plate of fruit. In theory, they'd help, but honestly, all I wanted was

     Matthew put a single drop of honey in front of me on a spoon. He read my goddamn mind.

     It took a week to feel up to long conversation again. In the interim, Matthew gave what information he could. I had been taken to an alternate dimension – one that ran parallel to Earth. Where as we had gotten to space, this world had learned to use magic. I would have thought we got the short end of the stick if Matthew hadn't been so obvious in avoiding another difference. Meanwhile, there were so many similarities, I found myself watching internet videos on a smartphone by the end of the week.

     My questions began in earnest one day when he was working while staying with me.

     "Is this world bigger, or am I just smaller?"

     He gave me a bit of an amused grin, "That's not how that question usually gets asked. You're smaller."

     "How? Or, why?" I asked.

     Matthew stopped his work to consider me for a moment. He shifted to lean his arms on the table. "Do you want the short and sweet, or the complicated mess?"

     "Complicated mess," I replied without hesitation.

     He let out that distinct laugh of his, a burst of joy that had honestly startled me the first time I heard it, but now just told me I managed to surprise him. Again. "Should have guessed."

     His expression sobered quickly as he considered how to start. "It wasn't a hundred percent true, what I said about the differences. We could get into orbit if we tried, though not much further without seriously damaging ourselves." The question I wanted to ask must have shown on my face, as Matthew gave me a bemused smirk. "Your race are stupidly hardy creatures."

     "And have a bit of magic," I concluded. He nodded. I bit my tongue a bit in thought. "So he just... Pulled my magic out?"

     "To grossly oversimplify, yes. For you and yours, it tends to manifest as memories, emotions--"

     "Talents."

     "Among other things," he finished.

     "But that still leaves..." I furrowed my brow, a vague memory of my final moments back on Earth trying to clear itself in my mind. "What happens to the bodies?"

     "They become Fetches."

     That made me jolt. I actually knew what that was.

     "What, like, what we say Fae make when they take someone away?" I hesitated before continuing, "Like, a dumb puppet that wanders around in your stead?"

     He considered that for a moment. "Yeah, that's a good way to put it.

     I shuddered. "Guess some of our fairy tales aren't made up after all." I rolled the thoughts over in my head. One more occurred to me. "How do I have a body now?"

     "Chemistry and magic," Matthew mused.

     I blinked. "You made it?"

     He winced with a shrug. "Sort of? More... mixed the parts together."

     A vague recollection of the shattering glass played in my mind. I looked across the vast room to the closed door. "What's gonna happen to me now?"

     Matthew stayed silent until I looked back at him. He offered me a small shrug and a smile.

     "That's all up to you, Irie."