Voices muttered around him as Chaise lay still on the rough straw bed. He caught snippets of conversation but none of it made sense.
"Carried him . . . Thought he'd take it . . . Foolish decision . . . First through . . ."
Chaise attempted to open his eyelids but they felt like lead weights over his eyes. His mind cleared slowly and he recognised a few voices from the chatter. He could hear the female voice from before, Parker's deep laugh and occasionally nervous chatter from Daisy. A soft hand shook him gently.
"Wake up . . ." Chaise heard Daisy near his right ear and could feel her warm breath on the side of his head. "You won't believe where we are."
Suddenly, a rough hand collided with the side of his head. His eyes flew open.
"Told you he was awake," Parker exclaimed.
"You didn't have to hit him in the head." A girl on his left muttered. She was the owner of the unknown female voice from before.
"What's that? You want me to hit on you?" Parker grinned as the girl glared at him. Chaise smiled and looked at the girl. Her long brunette hair flowed to her small waist and her bright green eyes twinkled in the light. Parker was standing beside her, a grin of satisfaction spreading over his face.
"This is Pari," he said, motioning to the tall girl beside him.
"Hey," Chaise said nervously, sitting up in the bed and pushing soft blue linen off his legs.
"Welcome to Wonderland," Parker said, laughing. Pari smiled.
"Our city is known as Ghodin, after our former king, but the name will change tomorrow as our new king is crowned. Our world is known as Thera, but you would know it as Heaven," she said. Chaise gasped in surprise. "I'm dead?!"
"No! Not yet, anyway," Pari replied. "I brought you here through a portal in the Ouija Board."
"I thought only spirits could come out. I didn't think people could go in," Chaise was bewildered.
"Why shouldn't we?" Parker butted in.
"Well, you're here now. Oh, and you'll have to meet my Dad, he's the one who made the portal," Pari said.
"Pari, why did you bring us here, and what exactly is this world?" Chaise wanted his questions answered before he even stepped out of bed. Pari sighed and sat on the end of the bed.
"This world is a parallel world to yours, Earth. There is another named Ethra, which you would know as Hell. You are here because I need you here. Not necessarily Parker and Daisy, but you, Chaise." Pari paused for a moment. Chaise gestured impatiently for her to continue. "My uncle, King Ghodin, was recently killed by our soon-to-be King Darreth." A snarl sprung to her lips as she spoke the name and when she continued her words were icy with hatred. "Darreth is unjust and lazy. He is fainéant and deceptive. Have it the people's way, we would not allow him to be king." Pari spat the words out with distaste as if the topic of Darreth tainted her tongue.
"Then why is he King?" Daisy asked. Pari and Chaise spun around to look at her. In her silence, they had almost forgotten she was present.
"He is King because he wants to be. And he is Ghodin's brother." Pari hung her head in her hands.
"But couldn't your Dad take the throne?" Parker asked.
"My father is only related by marriage and before you ask, my mother went missing centuries ago. She died in childbirth on Earth and when I finally followed her to Thera, I could not find her," Pari answered. Chaise could see moisture glistening in the corners of her eyes but she did not stop.
