Author's Note: I've wanted to do this for a long time. This is basically what happens when my four characters from my novel-in-the-works, Rebel, come to my home. It's kind of long, and you may not get it, but I'm glad I did it. I also may be writing a sequel with my friend Helena, so look for that too!
~Caria
It was a completely normal summer day- rainy and humid, with no way to do much of anything besides to sit inside. Or, in my case, write. As a writer, I do this often. Today, though, the writer's block of the century was resting on my shoulders, and I was taking out my frustrations rather well.
BANG!
"I hate writer's block!"
BANG!
"I need them to come to me!" Them, of course, meaning my characters.
BANG! The BANG was me, hitting my head on my desk (you'd be surprised how many dents your head can put in a desk) I kept this up for a good ten minutes before I felt my head going numb. I turned around, rubbing my head… and saw the weirdest thing ever.
"Gods, girl, you'll make yourself delusional with that incessant head-banging!" A pale youth with long blonde hair said. He was shorter than me- hahaha! Shrimp… I thought to myself- and was staring at me like I was crazy. He could have passed for my brother, except for the fact he was about thirteen and he had a sword dangling from his belt.
"I think…I am delusional…" I said woozily, sitting down on my bed.
"Really!" A girl said from my doorway. Long brown hair and huge eyes (try manga-sized!) that was even wider with awe. "Can I try?"
"No…" the blonde boy said, rolling his eyes.
"Cedric! Be nice to your sister!" A second girl said who seemed to be coming out of the wall. She blinked at the light, and then stared at me.
It was, again, the weirdest thing- we looked almost exactly alike. Our hair, our eyes, our bodies. She, on the other hand, was in a flowing long dress that would have made Maid Marian jealous, while I was still in my pajamas. I reached awkwardly out...And then, I think I fainted.
XXXXX
I woke up covered with my fuzzy blanket on my bed.
"Ah… I must have taken a nap…" I said dreamily. "What a weird dream!"
"Actually, you usually have about eight dreams per period of rest- you just don't remember them all."
I cracked an eye open to see the big-eyed girl right over my face.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Stop screaming; you may have post-traumatic-stress, you'll damage your head. How many times did you hit it?" There was another one- yes, another one!- in my room, this time taller than me and at least eighteen.
"I dunno…" I said when I was done screaming. "Enough to make you appear. Who are you anyway?"
"Who are you?" My look-alike asked. "And where are we?"
"Silly, you're in Narnia!" I said dryly. "Where do you think we are?"
"Narnia?" Big-eyes said. "Ooh, Elena, are we really? Is that close to Caracadia?"
"I believe she was joking, love," 'Elena' said.
Suddenly, the fog in my head cleared. "Wait…did you just call her Elena?" Big-Eyes nodded. "And you're from…. Caracadia?" My headache was coming back.
"You've heard of it, then?"
"Heard of it? I created it!"
XXXXXX
Needless to say, that particular announcement did not go over well. Now that I realized where they were from, it made perfect sense- these were my characters, living and breathing! For a moment, while the four (the oldest one was Skell; my look-alike was Elena; Big-Eyes was Skye; and the blonde was Cedric) freaked out, I considered my options.
A- These people were insane, found my profiles on each character, and broke into my house, possibly tying up my brother and parents,
B-I had suddenly gone more crazy than usual, and I was in an asylum as we speak,
C-Mo had found my excerpts and had read each character to life (for those that don't read Inkheart, Mo can read people out of books),
Or D- My wish had been granted, and I was not crazy- they were really there.
I like D the best. Mostly 'cause I like thinking I did it all by myself.
Anyway, back to the four medieval-chic kids in my bedroom. Cedric seemed to be the only one that wasn't freaked out. "You honestly think you're some kind of Goddess?" he asked skeptically.
"No… why?"
"THEN HOW DO YOU THINK YOU CREATED US?" Sheesh. I'd forgotten Ced had anger-management issues like that.
"I…" I really didn't have an answer. What kind of story would it be if my characters didn't think they had any say in what happens? Really, it's their personalities that make me write. "I mean, I brought you here," I finished lamely.
"You're a sorceress?" Skye said. She looked so scared, and I knew why; in her world, magic was not something to take lightly.
"Kind of…but I'm one of the good guys!"
"Who are you, anyway?" Cedric interrupted.
"I am- Caria."
The four watched as I gave my name and where we were. I also explained that we were in a different universe altogether. Insert jaw-drops here.
"Well, how do we get back?" Elena had stood, giving me a small bow. "It's been wonderful, having you freak us out like this, but I really should be getting back."
Again, I was struck by insane irony and the feeling I'd entered the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie, but I pushed it aside. "I'll…" Actually, I had no clue how to get them back. I suppose just wishing them back would do it, but I didn't want them to leave! How many times does an author meet with her characters (even an unpublished, insane author with writers block?) "Er… you'll have to wait a few hours. My...er, master went away, and he can… um, send you back? Yeah, I can't do it." In case you can't see it, I'm a terrible liar.
Skell stared at me. "Oh…kay… I suppose we can stay here for a few hours."
I pumped my fist. "Yes!" Four pairs of eyes slid to me. "I mean… I'm happy to have you four in my home, even for a little bit." Better break them to reality slowly.
XXXXX
I decided the neighbors probably wouldn't see four kids in dresses and carrying swords (Ced, of course, wasn't wearing a dress; except in some crack fictions, but that's beside the point. You get the idea) So, I dug through my closet and found some clothes for them all. I was able to find a black dress and leggings for Skell, (she was tall, have I mentioned that? The dress was the only thing that fit her, and it suits her.) and a pair of jeans for Skye and Elena. Elena gave a small sigh but found a sweater that finally suited her. I don't think she liked being here much; everything was very modern. Skye spent ages pouring over my shirts and finally found the one I had shoved in the back of the closet- hot pink, of course. I put on my college sweatshirt over my pajamas, going for comfort. Cedric returned with a pair of my brother's boxer shorts.
"This is what you…Americans…. wear outside?" he said, so confused. I giggled.
"They're kind of like underwear," I told him, causing him to blush immensely. I found him a pair of (non boxer) shorts that fit him, and sighed outwardly. They were a workout, all right!
We went downstairs into our kitchen/living room. Pause for an all-jaw-drop at some of the mechanics we have down there. Of course, it was at that moment the phone rang. Skye screamed, and I'm pretty sure Skell was about to fry it when I held up my hands. Very carefully, I picked up the phone. "Hullo?"
"Hey, Caria!" It was my mom. "What're you doing?"
Entertaining four children from out of the universe whom I created and trying to figure out how they got here. You?
"Nothing much; just watching T.V." Amazing, this time the lie came fluently.
"Alright. My boss held me up at the office, so I'll be another hour or two."
"THAT'S GREAT!"
"Huh?"
"Um…nothing! Have fun with what's-his-name!"
"Okay…bye?"
"Bye"
I hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. She'd bought it!
"What's… T.V.?" Skye asked, still curious about everything that she came into contact with.
"Television. See?" I said, flipping on the T.V. in our living room. Canned laughter filled the room.
"Gah! What is that infernal contraption?" Cedric asked. "Why do you keep those people imprisoned in a box to laugh on command?" Clearly, he thought I was mad. Or evil. Or both. Great impression to get from your creator, huh?
"No no no! They're supposed to be like that. It's like…" How do I explain it? "These people are far away from us right now. I can see what they're doing."
"Like the Seeing we've done?" Elena asked, carefully approaching my television.
"Kind of; you can choose what you see, but you can't spy on anyone."
"Alright. We will watch this… television," she said, just accepting it. That's what I liked; Skye and Elena were much more come-as-they-go, while Ced and Skell would analyze it forever.
Soon, all four were immersed in some sitcom and I was able to make myself a peanut-butter sandwich. I took a large bite, and looked up to see Skell looking at me. I smiled gooey peanut buttery goodness back at her, and she looked disgusted.
"Why are we here?" she asked bluntly.
I decided to tell the truth. "I know of you- all four of you. You're my muses, so to speak. I am a writer, hoping to finish with my works. So, by some magic you are now here. And now, at least until I can get you back, we are going to have a good, old-fashioned American day out."
Skell eyed me. "Out?" she said uneasily. "Like…outside of this castle?"
I smirked. "This is a house, not a castle. But yeah, sure."
Little known to us, Skye had been listening. "Oh, really? Can we go, please, please?"
"Don't crowd her, Skye," Cedric said, sounding bored, but I could see excitement in his eyes.
"Elena?" Skell looked to her to stop the madness.
"As long as Lady Caria knows what to do, I suppose we can… go out."
In spite of myself, I clapped my hands and did a little happy dance; the result was a bunch of nervous laughter.
"Don't worry!" I told them all. "I'll take good care of you all."
XXXXXX
Ten minutes later, I'd changed out of my pajamas and we were all in our van.
"This…monster….you control it?" Skell asked.
"It's a bit like a war machine- you use the levers and stuff to move it." To experiment, I pushed a button and the fan turned on.
"Aaaaaaah…" I said, cooling off. The rest watched in fascination. "Now you try," I told Skell, who was in the passenger seat. Skell pressed a button, and the window wipers came on.
"You people sure do have strange inventions," Cedric said, staring out the window as we backed out of the driveway. "How do the peasants here pay for the glassworks?"
"Glass is a lot cheaper here, and people are paid very fairly for their jobs."
"Where are we going?"
"Out to eat."
"Didn't you just eat?"
"Yes, but you guys didn't."
"Can your chef at home not prepare food for us?"
"It's the principle of the thing." That, and we don't have one.
The drive went on like this until we finally arrived.
"Here we are! The rise and climb of American independence is mirrored in this very establishment." I said drily, as we walked into your neighborhood McDonald's.
"Really! You didn't need to bring us to such a wonderful place…" Skye said, smiling hugely. I was about to tell her that no, I was joking again; but why destroy one girl's dream of high dining?
"How do you work this…McDonald's?" Skell asked, reading the signs. "I don't know what any of this is!"
"Alright. Burgers are beef; or at least they're mostly beef. Chicken anything is basically just fried up chicken. And French fries- they're fried potatoes. You can't go wrong!" I told them.
Skell approached the counter first. "Hello."
"Welcome to McDonald's, can I take your order?" A sultry man said, looking bored.
"Yes. I would like for you to make me a… Big Mac?" Skell said.
The man stared dubiously at her. "Lady, I just work the counter."
"Then how am I supposed to get my food?"
"Okay!" I said, jumping in front of Skell. "Let's let everyone else order!"
Elena cocked her head. "May I order a salad?"
"Yes," I told her, "They're actually pretty good here."
"Alright, one salad, sir!" she said, smiling at the man. The man seemed flummoxed. I don't blame him- Elena gets this presence when she slips into I'm-about-to-become-Queen mode.
"I'd like one of these French fries," Skye piped up. "And a…what is it called…Coke?"
"Sure," the man said, finally tearing his eyes away from Elena (gross! He was like, thirty. But whatever.)
"I would like these chicken fingers? And French fries, if you would," Cedric said, elbowing his way up to the counter.
"I'll just have a Coke." I told the man, who looked like he really didn't want to be here.
"Alright," he said, turning around. The next thing I saw was Cedric grabbing the man bodily by the shirt front.
"What is your name?" he asked.
The man, looking way freaked out, stuttered, "I..I'm John."
"Well, John, I hope you can give us this meal without pay."
"No way!" John said. "That's against regulation! You have to pay!" I smirked, reminded of Monty Python and the Holy Grail for a moment. Ah, it's fun to be insane.
"I've never had to pay in my life!" Cedric said, sounding shocked.
"Why?"
"I'm a Prince. I don't have to pay," Cedric insisted. I slapped my forehead. This was not going to go well.
The man, John, smirked at him. "Yeah, and I'm the King of Spain. Suuure."
Cedric looked like he was about to punch the man. "Whoa!" I said, holding my hands in a 't' form. "Cedric, you can't hit the man. John, I'm gonna pay; just get us our food!"
Cedric reluctantly let go of the man, and I steered him to the back of the restaurant. "You cannot do that!" I scolded.
"Why not? And don't scold me; you're barely older than I am!" Cedric said.
"But I know what I'm doing! Listen, no one believes you when you say you're a Prince. We're a democracy, that doesn't work here!"
"But…" We argued for the next ten minutes while people stared at us. Finally, we got our food and sat down. It was one of those spiffy McDonald's with the play set in the glass room so you can't hear the little kids screaming.
"You must be….under…. sixty inches to play," Skye read. "Cedric, you can go play!"
Cedric turned beet red. "I will not…go play," he growled. "I am not a child."
"But you're just small enough to go in!"
"ENOUGH!"
Several people were still staring at us. "Guys, keep it down!"
"Caria?" A deep male voice asked. I turned around, and practically went lips-in-chest with my- er- friend Daniel. "What are you doing here?"
"Er…well, my cousins are in town, and they're leaving today so we went out to eat and so…yeah." I said in a rush.
Cedric snorted. "Yeah. What she said."
Daniel looked confused. "They don't look much like you."
"Yeah, we get that a lot!" I babbled in a voice too high for normal coming out of my mouth. By 'friend' I meant crush. That never got the point. No matter how much I made a fool of myself.
I could see Skell was enjoying this, Cedric was already laughing into his hand, and Skye was just staring at Daniel. Grrr…why'd I give her my taste in boys? Only Elena seemed to feel my pain.
"Actually, we're really ready to go. Come, Skell, Skye, Cedric. Get your bags; we'll meet you in the…car!"
I smiled at her; a part of me was proud that she was adapting. The other three sighed and left out the door. Daniel smiled at Elena, and then at me.
"Whoa…you two do look alike!" he said. "You could be twins."
"We get that a lot, too," Elena said. "But, we really should go…"
"Alright. Bye, Caria, Elena." Daniel said, going to order.
XXXXXX
We drove home, the four royal kids crammed in my backseat bolting down food.
"This is truly an example of your culture!" Cedric said. I rolled my eyes.
"So not. If you like this, you should try pizza."
"What is pizza?"
While the four got into an argument about what they thought pizza was, my thoughts drifted elsewhere. It was nothing; nothing at all. Yet… I couldn't help wondering why Daniel remembered Elena's name when it had taken him at least a month to learn mine.
He was just being polite. He won't remember me again.
I felt my eyes get huge. Huh?
It's Elena. Remember? I can read minds.
Oh yeah. Telekinesis. Right. Just one more thing that made her better than I was. When I created Elena, I imagined a better, more elegant me. But I'd grown up now; we looked alike, but Elena still had her presence. I had a car and a house, that's about it. The house wasn't even mine.
Tele-what? Never mind. Why do you care anyway about this Daniel?
I like him. A lot.
Yes, but does he like you? Elena asked. Her tone- yes, you hear tones when talking in your head- was almost teasing. I narrowed my eyes.
What do you know? I asked suspiciously.
Nothing. Just that this Daniel finds you attractive. And warm, though he did not touch you.
Warm? Then, realization. You mean he said I was..hot?
Yes, that was it! I don't think I understand these American boys very well.
I don't either. I thought, but I felt a blush warm my cheeks.
XXXXXX
We came home to a still-deserted house. Thank goodness. Everyone got out of the car.
"Okay, do you want to do anything else?"
"Can we go in that water?" Skye asked, pointing to the pool.
"Um…sure?"
"YEY!" Skye yanked open the door and splashed face-down in the pool. Cedric smacked his head but followed her, albeit a little more gracefully.
Skell shrugged. "I'm going to go make sure they don't drown," she remarked, and followed them. Elena looked like she was going to follow, but instead swerved around and saw my less-than-happy face.
"What is amiss, Lady Caria?" she asked.
"Just…ah, never mind."
"Tell me!"
"I feel like I'm arguing with myself…" I moaned, rubbing my head. "Alright. That boy at the restaurant; well, he's more than a friend to me. But while I've been in school with him since third grade, you've been here six hours, and he remembered your name," I said, all in a rush.
"Caria, you cannot believe he said that more than to just be polite."
"Why would he?"
"Why would he not? You said we were cousins, and besides, we look just alike. Why would he want to know me…when he already knows you?"
Okay, seriously good point. "I dunno…"
"Caria, you should make a move toward him."
"I just always wanted the boy to make the first move."
"You're a romantic fool," Elena said, but she was smiling.
"Thanks," I said, smiling as well.
XXXXXXXX
Skell, Elena and I sat by the pool while Ced and Skye swam around (even though it was only like seventy degrees at the moment, Caracadia was a lot cooler. Just a little tidbit.) We were interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing.
"Caria? It's mom."
"Mom?" I said, hearing my voice squeak.
"Yes, dear. Listen, I'm almost home, can you start dinner?"
"Yes…"
"Good! Love ya," she said, clicking off the phone.
"MOVE IT!" I yelled. Cedric and Skye, sensing my anxiety, got out of the pool. I hustled through the house, giving each of the four their clothes. "Alright, we need to get you back, now. So, join hands or something, I know how to get you back."
They all nodded, but Skye looked sad.
"What's wrong?" I asked her. To my surprise, she gave me a hug.
"I'm going to miss you," she said, her too-big eyes brimming with tears.
"Awww… I'll miss you too, kid. But don't worry- I'm closer than you think…" I said mysteriously. Elena also came forward and gave me a hug.
"On your bed, I've left something for you. Use it well," she whispered in my ear. I must have looked puzzled, but let go of her with a nod.
And, since I'm all for dramatic effect, I raised my arms wide. "Good-bye, Your Majesties," I said, smiling. Then, "I wish they were back in Caracadia!"
XXXXXXX
My mom came home to a small puddle on the floor and me cooking dinner.
"Why is there a puddle on the floor?" Was the first thing out of her mouth.
"Hello to you too, Mom," I said, smiling. "Oh…er…I fell in the pool." I said, looking sheepish.
"Only you," my mom said, shaking her head. "Alright, I'll take it from here."
Thankful for the dismissal, I ran up the stairs to my room. I have to admit, I was curious about Elena's mysterious gift. I was a little surprised to see only my phone on the bed. That, and a note.
Caria,
I don't know why this Daniel does not remember you, for you are a very interesting person. I did what I could to make it a little better. Try to visit sometime, if you can. You have our thanks.
E.
I felt confused, but picked up the phone. It said I had a text message, which was weird, because I hadn't heard it ring. I opened it.
"Call me." Was all it said, with a number I knew very well. With trembling fingers, I picked up the phone and called.
"Hello?" A male voice said.
"Hey, Daniel. You texted me?"
"Yeah. Um, this may be a little sudden, but I kindofwantedtoaskyououtthisfridayifyouwant."
"Eh?" Oh yeah, very smooth. I speak the language of l-o-v-e.
"Do you want to go out this Friday? Maybe to a movie?"
"Ah." That I understood. "Sure…I mean, I'd love to!"
"Great," Daniel said, sounding relieved. "Seven?"
"You got it!" I said, my chest about to burst.
"Cool, see you later," he said, hanging up.
I smiled upwards, hoping that Elena could feel my smile. "Thank you," I whispered. Then, as soon as I was done, I sat down to my laptop. "This is one heck of a FanFiction story," I said, and began to type.
FIN.