Between Worlds (The Wall Series #1)

Chapter 14

I finished my coffee before Samara, who apparently wanted to enjoy 'every last drop of the heavenly beverage'. As I stared at my own drained cup, I tried to recall seeing anyone teleport in this place.

No one. Then again, I didn't know anyone here, except Alec, his brother Hale, Samara, and the colonel.

The colonel!

My mind travelled all the way back to the night I had spent at Heather's house. That's why I couldn't see the colonel outside the window! It's because he wasn't there; he had teleported himself.

Of course. It made perfect sense.

I was a little relieved at this. Every bit of information was a step closer to my father. If I'd chosen to sit at home, doing nothing but thinking of the password, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere. This was a lead. And a lead was a good thing.

But teleportation, though? It sounded ridiculous even in my head. Not that everything else happening wasn't ridiculous, anyway.

Well, you still got some time before you get it, too. Teleporting feels wonky at first, but you'll eventually get the hang of it.

So, age was a factor. What could it be? Eighteen?

As I listened to Samara loudly sipping on her coffee, I thought of Alec. He could possibly be a year older than me—which meant he was eighteen—but not more than that.

Maybe he has this ability, I thought.

I wondered why Alec hadn't told me about teleportation. He never said anything about the other password, either. Didn't he want me to blend in with the others? And wasn't this information vital for that?

Samara, at last, finished her coffee. I set my cup down on the square of the table, followed by her. The square pushed itself inside and when it rose back to the surface, the cups were gone.

I didn't know what surprised me more: the ability or the refreshments table.

Samara stood up, yawning, and stretched. She was a lot shorter than me and I towered over her easily.

"Doesn't it feel monotonous?" I asked her, as we walked back over to the door, "Carrying out the same activity, day after day, for hours on end?"

"Already exhausted? It's just your first day."

"Well, yeah, but isn't it exhausting for you and the others? Boring, maybe?"

"Boring?" she laughed bitterly, whipping her head towards me as we reached our sector. I was taken aback. "Did you say boring?"

"I—no."

"Yes, you did. Well, in case you didn't know, there are a lot of people here who want to pull their minds away from their misery. Of losing their family. Of their home being blasted to bits, as they do nothing but stand and watch. Or run for their life." She paused, her expression unreadable for a moment. "When things like that happen, you don't get many options. So when someone offers you to work away your helplessness, you don't hesitate. With that in mind, I'm sure boredom isn't a problem for many of us. Or any of us, for that matter."

I stood motionless for a moment, absorbing everything she said in her sudden outburst. People who want to pull their minds away from their misery. Of losing their family. Of their home being blasted to bits, as they do nothing but stand and watch. Or run for their life.

One of the only things my muddled brain could decipher was the last part of her statement.

When someone offers you to work away your helplessness.