Akarnae (50 page)

Alex almost fell off the couch. “
What?
”

“Something about you caught his attention,” Darrius said. “He has—finally—admitted that you just might belong in his class. He’s seen your potential and is willing to help develop it. It really is an honour, Alex, one I doubt many can claim.”

“Honour, my butt,” she murmured. “He’s just going to use me as his own personal punching bag since he won’t have any other students around for the entire summer.”

“I fully believe Karter will treat you fairly,” Darrius said. “And I also believe Combat is a skill you’d do well to refine, especially in light of recent events.”

“Don’t you mean, ‘in light of the fact that you were just kidnapped by a crazy Meyarin who is bent on doing it again until he gets what he wants’?” she corrected bitterly.

He refused to acknowledge her mood and simply said, “That description works just as adequately, though mine was perhaps slightly less melodramatic.”

She sighed, but let go of her annoyance to once again bring them back to their earlier topic. “So, you think I’ll be able to come back?”

“I’m sure of it,” Darrius said. “As you said yourself, your adventures here in Medora are not yet near finished.”

She was torn between pleasure at being able to continue at the academy with her friends, and fear of what the future might bring since Aven was still out there with his plans for retribution. But as Alex walked out of Darrius’s private study later that evening—using a doorway that she willed into the wall—and joined her three friends in the Rec Room, all she felt was gratitude. Gratitude for the time they’d already had, and gratitude for the time they would have in the future. The fear was worth it, she realised.

“What are you thinking about?” D.C. asked, noticing her distraction. “Are you still shocked that your Darrius is our Marselle?”

Alex had shared everything that she’d learned and now the four of them were lounging around on beanbags, enjoying their time together.

“No,” Alex said. “I feel like an idiot for not realising sooner. But I was actually thinking about us—all of us—and just how thankful I am.”

“Aww,” Jordan said, faking a sniff. “Tear.”

“Shut up,” she said, throwing a cushion at him. “I wasn’t including
you
in that.”

“Sure you weren’t,” he said, smirking. “Face it, you’re going to miss me the most.”

“Whatever,” she said, pushing him off his beanbag. “Your ego is truly growing by the second.”

“Did you hear that?” Jordan said, turning to Bear. “I think she said she’s going to die without me. Poor thing. It’s sad when they get so obsessed that they can’t stand it when I’m not around. But I think it’s just one of those unfortunate facts of life.”

Alex couldn’t help smiling in spite of herself. She really
would
miss them.

“Will my ComTCD still work?” she asked, changing the subject to go with her thoughts.

“Not while you’re in your world,” Bear said, careful to keep his voice down. “But when you’re here it will. You’ll be able to contact us at any time, but we won’t be able to visit or anything since the academy is closed to students over summer.”

“I still can’t believe you get to train with Karter,” Jordan said. “Talk about awesome.”

“I’d switch places in a heartbeat,” she muttered.

“Yeah,” D.C. agreed. “Finn might be a psychopath, but Karter is a machine. You’ll be a tank of muscles the next time we see you, Alex.”

Everyone paused for a moment, all of them imagining that picture before, as one, they said, “
Eww
.”

They laughed then, at one thing and then another and another, laughing their night away and enjoying their friendships—the old and the new.

Forty-Eight

“Are you ready?” Darrius asked
the next morning.

Most of the students had already left the academy, but Alex and her friends had waited until the last possible moment before departing. It was a remarkable difference from when she had first arrived—back then she would have been sprinting to get to the quickest doorway through to her world. But time had changed Alex, and even though she was looking forward to being reunited with her parents soon, she still didn’t want to have to say goodbye to her friends, even if it was only for the summer.

“No. But I don’t think I have a choice,” she answered, shifting her backpack on her shoulders. There wasn’t much in it—just the clothes she’d first arrived in and the Kaldoras gifts she’d received.

“You always have a choice, Alex,” Darrius said, reminding her of not only her gift, but also her right as a human being.

“Thanks for everything, Darrius,” she said, smiling at him. “I mean it. You saved my life, a few times I think.”

“You’re most welcome, Alex,” he said, returning her smile. “I should be around more often next term, which will allow me to keep a closer eye on you.”

“Great,” Alex said dryly. “Just what every student wants—the headmaster watching out for them.”

“There goes your social life,” Jordan quipped, and D.C. elbowed him to keep quiet.

Darrius chuckled but he didn’t try to reassure her. “Remember,” he said instead, “Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Arena. Best to arrive a little early.”

Alex didn’t need the reminder, or the warning. She was already dreading her solo torture sessions with Karter. The only upside was that they would give her the opportunity to connect with her friends over the break. A ComTCD call was better than nothing.

“I’ll leave you to your goodbyes, and I’ll see you in a few days,” Darrius said, and he walked away from them with a parting smile.

“I guess this is it,” Alex said, looking at her closest friends in the world.
Worlds
. “For now, at least.”

D.C. launched herself at Alex. “You had better call or so help me—!”

“I promise, Dix,” Alex said, hugging her in return. “Every chance I get.”

“You’d better,” D.C. threatened again, before she squeezed one last time and let go.

“Come here, you,” Bear said, pulling Alex into a… well, into a bear hug. He wrapped his massive arms around her and she snuggled into his warm chest. “You look after yourself,” he said as he released her. “No more crazy adventures without us, you hear?”

“I’ll do my best,” she said.

Alex turned and found Jordan already waiting for her, his arms open wide. She walked straight into them, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For that first day. For bringing me here. For everything since then.”

“You’re welcome,” he said back, just as quietly. And then, much louder, he called out, “Did you all hear that? She just admitted to being totally and completely in love with me! I knew it!”

Alex pulled away and punched him in the arm. “Jerk,” she said, laughing.

She still had a smile on her face as she walked away from them, glancing back only once as she walked into the Tower. They were a picture of happy smiles and sad eyes. None of them wanted to part, no matter how short the time. But the joy of friendship came with difficult goodbyes, sometimes.

“See you all soon,” she called out. It was a promise they could all hold on to. That they
would
all hold on to.

Alex didn’t turn around again, instead she descended the steps down into the foyer of the Library. She waved to the librarian as she walked past and he nodded at her, his gaze grouchy as per usual but his eyes gleamed with newfound respect.

She continued walking until she reached the far staircase and headed down, concentrating on where she needed to go. The doorway appeared before her just like she’d expected, and she didn’t hesitate to open it and step straight into the darkness, immediately falling into pitch-black nothingness.

When she landed in the cavern it was exactly as she remembered, raging river and all.

“
Back again, Alexandra?
”

“I’m ready to go, this time,” she answered the voice.

The river stilled and the huge boulders appeared once more to create a path over the water. A doorway appeared, already open and showing her house—just like last time.

“
You’ve come far
,” the voice said. “
And you still have far to go
.”

“Believe me, I know,” Alex said, stepping carefully over the boulders until she reached the other side of the river. “Once I go through, how do I come back?”

“
How did you get here?
”

Alex presumed the voice was referring to her trip down into the cavern, and if that was the case then the answer was that she’d just willed it to happen.

“Are you saying that I can be anywhere, anytime, and I’ll be able to open a doorway between our worlds?” she asked.

“
From Freya, yes
,” the voice said. “
But here in Medora, you need to be within my boundary.
”

“So, I actually have to be somewhere in the Library to open doors?” Alex clarified. “It doesn’t work the other way around?”

“
You can re-enter a doorway if you’ve passed through it previously
,” the voice said. “
You’ll discover that for yourself when you visit Meya
.”

Alex’s stomach plummeted. “Come again?”

“
You’re curious, aren’t you?
” the voice asked. “
A time will come when your curiosity will lead you to the Lost City, and the door you step through will bring you back again. The same is true for any door you ever leave from—they will always return you should you choose to step back through.
”

“But from my world I can open a doorway from anywhere and come straight through to Medora?” Alex repeated, just to make sure she understood.

“
That’s correct
.”

Something nudged at her then, a memory from what felt like a lifetime ago.

“Did I bring myself here?” she asked hesitantly. “That day—I remember dreading the idea of being stuck at that horrible boarding school for eight months. I remember wishing things could be different. Did I somehow create the doorway that led me here?”

“
You were Called
,” the voice said, repeating the word Aven had used to describe Alex. “
Many are Called, but few answer the Call. Fewer still respond to it and follow where it leads. Your Calling created the door for you, but you had to make the decision to step through it. And when you did, you found everything you were searching for, didn’t you?
”

Alex didn’t need any time to think. The answer was simple. “Yes.”

“
And that’s why you’re not only Called, but also Chosen
,” the voice told her. “
Because you’ll continue to walk through the doors, no matter where they lead.
”

Alex considered those words as she stared through the doorway in front of her. “I guess this is a good time to test that theory,” she said, before closing her eyes and stepping forward.

As Alex was thrown through the air towards her world, she was filled with a calm reassurance that her journey was not at an end.

It was only just beginning.

Alex’s journey continues in the second instalment of

THE MEDORAN CHRONICLES

BOOK TWO

RAELIA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I always feel like rolling
my eyes when authors express gratitude to God in their acknowledgements because, let’s face it, it’s corny. That said, I still want to say thanks, God, for giving me a love of words and an irrepressibly overactive imagination. You made all this happen, and I’m eternally grateful.

Massive hugs go to my incredible family: Mum, I couldn’t have made it here without you. Thank you for always believing in me, encouraging me and convincing me that the best is yet to come. Dad, thank you for being the greatest father a girl could ever ask for, and for loving me waaaay more than I deserve. Nan, you’re arguably the most generous human being in the world—or at least in my world. Thank you for always being there for me, in every possible way. Aunty Noni, thanks for sharing your wisdom—and your name—and for all your wonderfully stimulating conversations. And Steve, you’ve always been good at sharing, so thank you for having a dream so huge that it burst out of you and left a light bright enough for me to step into. You inspire me every single day.

Now onto my Pantera Press family: Marty, thank you, thank you,
thank you
for loving this story enough to recommend it to everyone else. If you hadn’t believed in Alex, none of this would be happening. Extra special gratitude for
One Jump Ahead
—which is a moment I will never forget! Ali, there aren’t enough words in any language to describe just how amazing
you are. Thank you for putting up with my gazillion emails and for not thinking I’m a total weirdo for regaling you with inane (and irrelevant) stories about my life on a way too frequent basis. You’ve championed me for every step of this incredible journey. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you for making my dreams come true. John, I’m not sure if the psychopath discussion and the ‘funeral test’ were some kind of cool hazing ritual, but if that’s the case, I’m glad I passed. Thank you for being the first person in the world to shake my hand and officially call me an ‘author’. Elly, thanks for being a fabulous social media guru and for the unending supply of Coke Zeros when we met. And Susan, you’ve opened up a galaxy of opportunities for a baby author with impossible dreams. I’m in awe of your vision and dedication, and I’m so thankful to have you rooting for me. I hope we get to share many more chocolate meringues in the future!

Now to everyone else who helped make this happen:

Massive thanks go to my editor, Deonie Fiford, and my proofreader, Desanka Vukelich, for polishing my words and making them shine like Myrox. Also, huge gratitude goes to my typesetter from Kirby Jones for dealing with all my last-minute paranoid changes; to the team at Xou Creative for delivering an oh-my-gosh stunning cover; and to Lauren Barnett from Lauren Ami Photographs for a magical photoshoot and an author pic that absolutely rocks.

To all my colleagues at YOUnique, especially Gem-Gem, Jacqui-Bro and Harnell, thanks for keeping me relatively sane by reminding me that there is a real world outside of fiction. Special mention goes to Melanie Summer for letting me keep my job when half my work hours are spent daydreaming and the other half are spent singing. Huge respect also goes to Ben Markey, who deserves a medal for putting up with my unending, often meaningless chatter. (Admit it, my mascara stories are the best!)