Chapter Two

As Maria had watched Michael being pulled forward through the portal, she had immediately screamed, before realizing that she too was being pulled towards the strange white light. She had tried to turn around and grab their bed frame, but had only managed to grab a hold of their comforter and a pillow. Of course, that had offered little resistance to keep her from being pulled through to what was apparently another planet.

Despite the enormous shock of being wrenched from her apartment in the dead of night, she had been even more shocked to discover their friends scattered around them. She supposed that she should have run to hug Liz, and that's certainly what she would have done under normal circumstances, but these weren't normal circumstances, and Liz didn't look like the Liz she remembered. The last time Maria had seen her, Liz had had long hair, a slight figure, and a haunted look in her eyes. Now her hair was about chin length, and she was still thin, but there was something different about her that Maria couldn't quite put her finger on. Gone was the haunted look. In its place was a quiet confidence that hadn't been there when the group had split up eight years before.

While Max and the alien, who called himself Arrin, were talking, Maria dully looked around. It appeared that she wasn't the only one to bring something from Earth to this planet – or moon, or whatever. Littered on the ground were papers, another blanket, a basket with a few plates strapped in to it, lying on its side, and even a coffee table. Maria looked down at herself, still grasping the blanket and saw that the pillow was by her feet. She bent down to pick it up, only then realizing that she was barefoot.

Great. Stuck on another planet with no shoes.

She straightened up and hugged the pillow to her chest. Michael glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He wrapped an arm around her, and she gratefully leaned her head against his shoulder. She felt like she should probably be paying attention to what was going on, but the only thing she could think about was that the only things she had brought with her to another planet were a blanket and pillow. Well, at least I'll be able to sleep anywhere.

"Maria."

Maria looked up at Michael. He pointed in front of himself. "We're leaving."

Maria blinked, watching as Max and Liz followed the alien Arrin, Kyle and Isabel trailing behind hesitantly, exchanging looks with each other.

"What?" she said blankly.

"He's taking us to their base camp," Michael said, frowning. "Weren't you listening?"

Maria looked around at the objects littered around and shook her head. "No." She looked up. "Are we just leaving all this here?"

Now it was Michael's turn to ask, "What?"

She gestured towards all the stuff. "Don't you think we should take this with us?"

"Why?" he asked impatiently, look at the rest of the group as they walked farther away from them.

"Because it's our stuff. It's from Earth," Maria responded, not understanding why she was having to explain this. "What if we need it?"

"When are we going to need a coffee table?"

Maria sighed, exasperated. "I don't know. Maybe when we're living in our little alien hut for the rest of our lives, we'd like a nice coffee table to put our feet on while we sip our alien tea."

Michael looked at her for a moment and then sighed. "Fine. But I'm not carrying the coffee table. We can come back for that later."

They quickly walked around, Maria ignoring the pain in her bare feet, grabbing the other blanket and picnic basket and then rushed to catch up with the rest of the group, hands full.

As they caught up, Maria heard Max speaking with Arrin.

"…How did you know where to open the portals?"

Arrin, who was walking in long purposeful strides, turned his head. "We traced your DNA. We were able to obtain samples from the palace cryogenic facility."

"Cryogenic?"

"Yes. After your DNA was extracted and sent to earth, Kivar, for reasons unknown to us, kept the extra samples. Using our palace spies, we were able to obtain some of those samples with which to track you."

"I don't get it," Liz said, "Why are we the only ones here. There's another set of clones, back on Earth. Why weren't they brought over too?"

Arrin glanced at Liz's hand in Max's, and then up at her face. "I do not fully understand the science of it myself," he said, "but I believe the very fact that they are the second set of clones is why. The way I have understood it is that your Earth DNA mixed with your Antarian DNA created a sort of diluted DNA mixture. When the second set of clones were made, the DNA was further diluted. We were simply able to hone in on the strongest set of DNA, thus bringing back the original royal four."

"How come you didn't want to bring all of us? Why just the originals?" Isabel asked.

Arrin stopped, looking at Isabel and pausing a moment before answering. "It is not unknown to us that the second set of clones have allied themselves with Kivar." He paused again, his expression blank. "It would hardly be prudent to bring Kivar's allies into our rebellion."

Kyle stood closer to Isabel, grabbing her hand. Maria wondered, in the back of her mind, if there was something between the two of them. "What about Ava? She wasn't allied with Kivar."

Arrin looked at Kyle, and Maria couldn't help but think that he didn't enjoy sharing information with humans. "The one who called herself Tess was allied with Kivar. Tess, who was the real Queen Ava, betrayed her people, and her king and husband, when she struck a deal with our oppressor." His eyes moved back over to Isabel. "There is no reason to assume that the cloned, and thus diluted, Ava would not do the same."

"Why bring us?" Maria asked. Everyone looked at her. Maria was startled by how big and green Arrin's eyes were, like polished emeralds. She looked at Michael, but he was looking confused. "I mean, why bring us regular earthlings?"

Arrin blinked once before responding. "We did not intend to bring any humans with the royals. The portal is still a prototype, therefore it's abilities to exactly hone in on the subjects requested is…lacking. Anyone within the radius of the portal would have been taken. The fact that you three humans are present simply means that you were within close proximity of the royals at the time." He looked around the group once and then turned around. "Come. We must get back to the base camp. The disturbance caused by multiple wormholes will surely not go unnoticed."

He walked quickly, and after looking at each other, the rest of the group quickly followed. As they were walking Maria stumbled, desperately wishing she had shoes. Michael looked over and then grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Get on my back," he said.

"Why?" Maria said, confused.

Michael gestured around. "We're walking over rocks and you don't have shoes."

Maria looked at the group as they got farther away. "Neither do you."

"I have socks on."

"What about all this stuff?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Wrap the blanket around you and I'll carry the rest. Hurry up."

Maria hesitated still, feeling a bit ridiculous at the thought of riding piggy-back on Michael.

"Maria." She looked up into his eyes. "I don't want you to end up with cuts all over your feet."

She nodded and quickly wrapped the blanket she was holding around herself, tying it around her neck like a cape. Then she quickly hopped on Michael's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He bent over awkwardly and picked up the rest of the stuff and then started walking quickly to catch back up with the group. Maria rested her head on her right arm, her lips close to Michael's ear, his hair tickling her cheek. I wish he'd gotten it cut, like I asked. When they had been on the run, he had started keeping his hair cut short, though not spiky like it had been when they first started dating. After they had settled down, he had started growing it out again, but usually cut it before it fully reached his shoulders. It had been several months since his last haircut and just this morning – had it really been less than twenty-four hours ago? – she had reminded him, for at least the tenth time, to get it cut.

Some part of her brain realized she was probably suffering from some form of shock. Here she was on an alien planet and so far all she had been able to think about was grabbing some blankets from the ground and cutting Michael's hair.

She stared out in front of her, taking in the terrain. It reminded her of the pictures she had seen of Mars. There appeared to be no vegetation on the landscape, and the ground, a mixture of sand and gravel, was a deep, burgundy red. There were mountains in front of them, and as she turned her head, Maria saw that mountains were completely surrounding them, as if they were in some sort of valley that went on for miles. Only as she looked up did she realize that it was either early dawn or late dusk, as was not completely dark, but also no sun. The sky was riddled with millions of stars, more stars than she had ever seen. There was a streak, stretching in a 180 degree swath across the sky, of multicolored gasses and stars close to the horizon, seeming to touch the mountain peaks. It was really very beautiful, and very alien. Maria unconsciously squeezed her arms together and leaned her head against Michael's.

After about half an hour of walking, largely in complete silence, Arrin stopped suddenly, reaching out a hand and touching the air. But as he did so, there was a sudden glimmer and something resembling a large hovercraft appeared in front of them.

Arrin gestured towards it. "Please, step inside. This will take us the rest of the way."

Max walked forward first, helping Liz, who was carrying a duffle bag, into the craft. As Michael walked forward, Arrin tilted his head to the side, ever so slightly. "What is it you carry with you?" he asked.

Michael looked down at the stuff in his arms. "Stuff from home."

"But this is your home," Arrin said, and though Maria could feel her indignation rising, she could also tell that he meant no insult.

She could feel Michael tense underneath her. "I've never lived here," he replied tensely, before stepping past and aboard the craft. He bent down so that Maria could get off his back, which she did reluctantly, taking a seat next to Liz.

Liz reached over and grabbed her's hand, as Arrin came aboard the craft and took a seat in what appeared to be the pilot's seat, and squeezed it, giving Maria a reassuring smile. Before Maria could smile back, bright red beams of light came down on either side of her shoulders from the back of her seat, pinning her to her chair. Looking down she saw something similar over her waist and realized that it must be some sort of seatbelt. Maria looked over at Michael on her other side, but he was looking at Arrin through narrowed eyes.

Suddenly Maria felt herself pressed backwards into the seat as they took off, incredibly fast. She was reminded of those old science fiction films when the ships would go into hyper drive and the stars would all become bright streaks of light. After several minutes she realized that, although it appeared there was no glass encasing them, no breeze was blowing. It was like being encased, but without actually seeing the glass.

Max, who had taken the seat next to Arrin, suddenly spoke. "Where are we going?"

Without looking over, Arrin said, "I have already said. Back to basecamp."

"And how far is that?"

"I do not believe you know our units of measurement, so I doubt any answer I give will serve to enlighten you."

Maria snorted to herself. Oh, I'm an alien and I'm smarter than you because you don't know our units of measurement, she thought mockingly.

"Why did we come out so far from your base camp?" Max continued.

"As I said before, the opening of multiple wormholes will not go unnoticed. There are ways to track them, and we could not risk our base of operations. We therefore chose to have you come out at a more remote location."

"And you said we're on one of the moons?"

"Yes, Highness. Hylian, second moon of Antar."

Max glanced back at Liz. "I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that."

"But you are the King of Antar. That is the appropriate way to address you," Arrin replied.

"I'm not the King of anything," Max replied. "If you want to call me anything, call me Zan."

Maria frowned at that, wondering why he didn't say Max. She turned her head to look at Liz, now remembering what had happened when they landed. Liz looked over at Maria and laughed nervously. "What?"

"Max called you Beth," Maria said quietly. Liz didn't answer. "Why?"

Liz looked out the corner of her eye to Max, and then back at Maria, also speaking in a hushed tone. "When we moved to Canada, we changed our names."

Maria shook her head. "I don't get it. Why?"

Liz shrugged. "We felt too exposed going by the same names. So we changed our names to Alexander and Elizabeth Maxwell. Elizabeth is my real name, but there are a million Elizabeths, so I just started going by Beth instead of Liz."

Maria recoiled. "And what, Max started going by Alex?"

"No, no!" Liz said hurriedly. "He went by Zan."

"Zan," Maria repeated blandly. "And you thought that was inconspicuous?"

Liz smiled. "Well, we started with Zander, but it just ended up getting shortened to Zan."

Maria nodded and then turned back to look at the swiftly passing terrain, feeling Liz's eyes still trained on her.

"I've missed you, Maria."

Maria looked over, shocked, and then smiled. "I've missed you too."


Isabel looked out at the planet, passing by at incredible speed, still reeling from being ripped laughing from her picnic.

She swallowed her growing panic. She had seen the way Arrin looked at her, as if he were accusing her of the same crimes the Tess committed. He had said he couldn't trust Ava because of what Tess had done. He might as well have been telling her to her face that he didn't trust her either.

She looked over at Kyle, at their hands. After they had entered the extremely fast paced hovercraft, he had grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. He looked at her now, and her heart constricted. Isabel knew, or at least suspected, that Kyle had feelings for her. She also knew that, after eight years in France together, it would be extremely easy to let herself fall in love with him. She tried to smile back at him, but didn't quite manage it. She pulled her hand away from his and turned back to look out at the planet.

She looked around for any sign of life, but found none. The entire planet seemed to be only red rock and dust. It felt familiar in a way, and she idly wondered if Vilandra had been here. She closed her eyes as that name flitted across her mind and felt her panic returning.

She looked forward, trying to find distraction in her companions. She looked at Max, sitting several feet in front of her, next to Arrin. He looked both the same and different. His overall appearance was remarkably similar, but his face had aged somehow. There weren't any lines or wrinkles, but he no longer looked like the teenaged boy who had left Roswell behind eleven years before. Perhaps it was just the maturity that came with age.

She looked at Liz, speaking quietly to Maria. She too looked different. There were differences in her general appearance, such as her shorter hair, but she too seemed to have aged in that indefinable way. Isabel tilted her head to the side. There was something in the way that Liz held herself that spoke of greater maturity and a confidence that Isabel had never seen in her before. She wondered what had happened in the lives of Max and Liz to change their demeanor so much.

In contrast, Michael and Maria looked relatively unchanged. In fact, they looked younger than their age. Maria's hair was long and seemed to be bleached by the sun. She had it back in a high ponytail, with curls falling down her back to the middle of her shoulder blades. Her skin was darker than the last time Isabel had seen her, indicating a healthy tan, but was still smooth and youthful looking, not aged and dry like so many so-called "sun worshippers". Michael also had a tan, and, if it was even possible, seemed to have fewer worry lines than the last time Isabel had seen him. His hair was also streaked with sun-bleached highlights, and was curling on the collar of his white t-shirt. She watched as he, unaware of her stare, looked over at Maria. She was struck by the look on his face, equal parts love and sadness. He glanced back then and, seeing her looking, the look disappeared and he turned to stare out at the terrain.

Isabel glanced over at Kyle, relieved to see that he was also looking outside. She studied him for a moment, comparing and contrasting his current appearance with how he had looked when they had lived in Roswell. His hair was cut shorter than it had been, and he sported a goatee, which helped to counteract his baby-faced appearance, making him appear his age. While on the run, his exercise routine had suffered, softening his looks. Their years in Paris, with the constant walking from place to place, had given him a leaner appearance, despite his love of croissants and all things cream based.

Isabel suddenly realized that no one was talking and looked around. Everyone appeared to be staring out at the terrain they were still swiftly gliding past. She turned to look and inhaled sharply. Almost directly ahead of them – making Isabel wonder how Arrin could see – the sun was starting to rise on the horizon. But it was not the yellow sun she was used to seeing. It was very large and very red, taking up nearly a third of the horizon. As she looked around she saw that the sky itself was turning red, rather than blue as she was used to seeing. She stared in amazement as the surrounding mountains and rock formations all started fading away, blending in with the color of the sky. Before long, the only thing she would be able to see would be continuous red, as if she were trapped inside a large red balloon.

She felt the hovercraft speed up, as Max asked, "How do you navigate this?"

"We do not usually attempt to go out during the red day," Arrin replied. "There are instruments to help navigate, of course, but they do not alert us to the presence of bodies of waters or other creatures."

"You mean there are animals here?" Maria asked.

Arrin paused before answering, "Yes," blandly.

Max frowned at Arrin, but didn't comment on his tone. "So you only go out at night then?"

Arrin shook his head, and Isabel saw that his four long fingers were gripping the steering wheel tightly. She wondered if he was anxious about navigation or annoyed at the questions.

"There is no night here."

Michael spoke up. "What do you mean there's no night? It was darker when we got here."

"There is a period of time twice each day in which one sun has set and the other sun has not yet risen."

"So like, a twilight," Maria said.

Arrin didn't respond, except to nod once.

"So then there are only two times per day when you can get around this planet?" Michael continued.

Arrin shook his head. "No, the other sun affords plenty of opportunity. It gives off a blue light. We refer to the two days as the red day and blue day. One full day is split evenly between the two suns."

Michael frowned. "I don't remember anything about two suns."

Arrin glanced back at him. "I was given to understand that your memories of Antar were fleeting at best."

Michael opened his mouth to reply, but Max spoke up first. "They are, but we have each remembered certain minor details. I don't remember anything about two suns either."

Arrin nodded once. "I see. That is because the smaller of the two suns is rarely visible from Antar. The orbit of the moons around Antar largely hides the presence of the smaller sun, named Cerrulia. There are only a few windows of time when Cerrulia is visible from Antar."

"But that's not possible," Liz spoke up.

Arrin paused and then said, "I'm uncertain what you mean."

"Well…how can moons cover up the sun for an entire planet? I mean…there have to be places where Cerrulia is visible on Antar all year round. It's the bigger planet."

"I am afraid you are mistaken," Arrin said. "Antar is, in fact, smaller than two out of the three moons which orbit it."

Isabel could see Liz stiffen in shock. "But…how can Antar be smaller? How do you know that it's not the moon and one of these so-called moons isn't the main planet?"

"Because the moons orbit Antar," Arrin replied simply. "Antar does not orbit any of the moons."

"But that doesn't make any sense either," Liz said. "If Antar is smaller, then where is the pull holding the moons in place coming from? It goes against the laws of physics. The largest of the planets should be the one which the others revolve around."

Isabel saw Arrin's hand tighten further on the steering wheeling, lending credence to the idea that he found their questions annoying. "I do not know what 'laws of physics' are, but I can assure you that is how things are here. Is it not true that prior to the Antarian's arrival on your planet, travel outside your planet's atmosphere had not yet been achieved?"

"Well…yes," Liz responded.

"Then perhaps your laws are inaccurate."

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Arrin simply said, "We have arrived."

Everyone looked outside the craft. So far as Isabel could see, they were stopping in the middle of nowhere, although admittedly she could see very little besides red. The red bands which had been holding them in place suddenly retracted and Arrin stood up and exited the craft. Isabel looked at Max, who shrugged and followed Arrin. The rest of them followed suit, with Isabel and Kyle exiting last.

When they were all on the ground, Arrin started walking in a straight line away from the hovercraft. The group looked at each other again and then filed behind him. Isabel had no idea how he knew where he was going, but after no more than twenty feet, he stopped, placing his hand in the air. Only when a door opened did Isabel realize that they were standing in front of a large rock formation. She looked behind her towards the hovercraft, only to discover that it was gone. She looked back towards the opening in the rock. Arrin walked through first, the rest of them following. Once they were all inside, the door slid back in place, leaving them in near darkness. The only light seemed to be coming from a small circular object in Arrin's hand.

He turned towards them, gesturing to something which looked similar to a slide made of a smooth granite-like material. "To reach the base camp you will need to slide down."

"You're joking," Michael said.

"I am not."

"You want us to slide down to god knows where in the dark?"

"I am afraid that is the only way to the entrance."

"You've got a hovercraft capable of at least a hundred fifty miles per hour and you can't bother with an elevator?" Michael asked incredulously. Arrin didn't respond.

"Michael," Max said quietly. He turned to the rest of the group. "I'll go first. Liz, follow after me. Michael, you can go last."

"You can't be serious, Max," Isabel said. The thought of sliding for who knew how long into who knew what in the pitch blackness terrified her.

In the near darkness Isabel couldn't see Max's face to read his expression, but he merely replied with, "Arrin said it's the only entrance." He grabbed Liz's hand for a moment before stepping over to the slide and sitting down. Before anyone could protest he was already gone. Liz looked around and then stepped over and sat down. She disappeared equally as fast, though Isabel could hear her gasp.

"Maria, you go next," Michael said.

"Michael, I couldn't even go down Splash Mountain at Disneyland when I was a kid," she hissed.

Michael put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine." His voice wavered at the end, and Isabel wondered if he wasn't as terrified as the rest of them.

With a whimper, Maria walked over and sat down, the blanket still around her neck, and one hand hugging a pillow to her chest. Almost immediately she was gone and Isabel could hear her scream in surprise and fear. The sound lasted for several seconds, until it faded away, making Isabel wonder just how far down they had to go.

"Isabel?"

Isabel shook her head. "No...I can't."

"You have to," Michael said, not unkindly.

"I'll go," Kyle spoke up. Before either Michael or Isabel could protest, he walked over. When he was nearly there, he stumbled and fell onto the slide face first, immediately launching himself down the shoot. Isabel cringed, closing her eyes in horror at the thought of Kyle having to go down there face first.

"Isabel," Michael said quietly. "You have to go."

With her eyes still closed, Isabel shook her head. "I can't."

"I'm afraid it's the only way, Vilandra."

At Arrin's use of her Antarian name, Isabel opened her eyes. In the dim light, she couldn't make out his face, although she was certain she'd find the same blank look he had had since they arrived. Michael put a hand on her shoulder and walked her over to the slide.

She started to sit down, looking behind her at Arrin. "My name is Isabel." Before he could respond, Isabel's bottom hit the smooth stone and she immediately flew forward, almost as if she were being pulled. The speed at which she flew threw the darkness took her breath away, making her wonder how Maria had screamed at all. She felt the bottom suddenly drop out from under her and she plunged downward, still sliding along the smooth surface of the slide. After what felt like several minutes, she saw a light up ahead and hoped she had reached the end. As she flew through the opening, however, she saw that it wasn't the end, but rather an enormous cavern. Light seemed to be filtering in from somewhere, hitting millions of jewels embedded in the cavern walls. The light was bouncing off each one and refracting, creating a veritable rainbow of color. Isabel only had enough time to register its beauty before she was once again plunged into darkness. She could feel herself being flung to the right and left as the slide twisted and turned, making her almost grateful that she couldn't see what was happening. Just as she was beginning to wonder if she was going to slide all the way to the center of the planet, she saw another light up ahead, and what appeared to be faces peering through it. Approximately fifty feet before the entrance the slide flattened out. She felt herself slowing down so that by the time she reached the opening her friends' hands could easily pull her to a stop and help her up.

She sat up, feeling nauseated after her travel, and then stood. "How far down are we?" she asked breathlessly, bending over to put her head between her weak knees.

"I do not know Earth's units of measure," said an unfamiliar voice, "but we are half by half to the core."

Isabel looked up and then blinked in shock at the creature before her. She was likely female, based on the curves which seemed similar to human women's curves and curling red hair falling to her shoulders. Unlike Arrin, her skin was not green, but a dark salmon color. Her eyes were red, but also beautiful. Instead of giving her a sinister air, they reminded Isabel of sparkling rubies and had a friendly look to them. Everything about her was red, down to her full, maroon colored lips and tight fitting burgundy suit, and the overall effect was beautiful. Isabel briefly wondered if everyone's eyes were the same color as their skin on this planet.

"So a quarter of the way down?" Max asked.

The alien looked over at Max with a smile playing at her lips. "If a quarter is half by half, then yes." She turned back to Isabel. "You must be Vilandra. My name is Julayna."

Isabel swallowed. "Please don't call me Vilandra. My name is Isabel."

Julayna's large ruby eyes widened slightly in what Isabel supposed was surprise. "You do not go by your Antarian name?"

Before she could answer, Michael suddenly came sliding through, with Kyle and Max grabbing hold of him. As he stood up, Maria coming over to hug him, Isabel looked around. The room they were in was cube shaped, carved out of the same granite-like material as the slide, with a door on the opposite end of the slide. The room wasn't very large, only fifteen or twenty feet in each direction.

Arrin came sliding through, deftly halting himself and rising. He nodded at Julayna, who smiled in return, and then turned towards them. "You must be in need of nourishment and rejuvenation." If this were any other time, Isabel might have found his words for food and sleep amusing. Instead they made her anxious.

Max and Michael glanced at each other.

"I could eat," Michael said.

Arrin turned and started walking towards the door. "Very well, if you'll please follow me."

Kyle stepped next to Isabel as they filed out the door. "Doesn't like to mince words, does he?" he said quietly.

"You'll have to forgive Arrin," Julayna spoke up behind them, making Kyle jump and Isabel glance back. Julayna smiled at them, but her eyes held no humor. "He has dedicated his life since he was an antari to overthrowing Kivar. Your return is the fulfillment of a life's ambition."

Isabel turned her head look at Julayna as Kyle asked, "Then why isn't he acting happier?"

Julayna paused, her gaze flickering over to Isabel. "He is not given to showing his emotions on the surface," she replied slowly. Isabel frowned slightly, getting the feeling that there was something Julayna wasn't saying. Before she could ask, Julayna smiled again and gestured forward. "We had better walk faster of your friends will leave us behind."

Isabel sped up her pace before turning back to ask Julayna a question. The alien's demeanor was not as rigid as Arrin's, making her less intimidating. "What's an 'antari'?"

"It is what we call the young among us," Julayna replied.

"Oh," Isabel said. "So it's your word for child." She laughed nervously. "I feel like I don't know anything."

Julayna reached a four fingered hand over to touch Isabel on the arm and looked at her seriously. "Your memories will return to you in time."

Before Isabel could ask what she meant, she felt Kyle grab her and pull her to a stop. She turned around and saw that she had nearly run into Michael. They had exited the hallway they had been walking in and were in another cube shaped granite room, lined with what looked like granite tables complete with granite benches. There were portions of the wall, in swaths approximately one foot squared, which were white and seemed to be the primary light source, though what was feeding it or how the light escaped, Isabel had no idea. She also wondered where everyone was. The only Antarians they had seen so far were Arrin and Julayna. You'd think the arrival of the Royal Four reincarnate would make at least a few people curious, she thought wryly.

"If you are in need of nourishment, you will find it here," Arrin said, spreading his arms to indicate the room around them.

They all looked around, and Michael said what they were likely all thinking. "I don't see anything but rock."

Arrin walked over to one of the white squares and placed a hand on it. It appeared to slowly dissolve, and a long slab of granite started to extend outwards from it, laden with multicolored dishes, much like a buffet. He gestured to it. "Please, help yourself to anything you find appealing."

Isabel heard Kyle say under his breath, "What if none of it looks appealing?" giving her the sudden urge to smile.

As if in answer to the question he had likely not heard, Arrin said, "If you are not in need of nourishment, then I will show you to your quarters."

Isabel looked at Kyle, who raised his eyebrows and looked over at Arrin. "I'm not…uh…in need of nourishment."

Relieved that he had spoken up first, Isabel said, "Neither am I."

Arrin looked at the two of them for a moment before glancing around. "Anyone else?"

Despite Isabel's hope that the others would join them, the four looked around and then Max said, "I think we'll stay here…for now." He looked at Isabel and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Very well, then. Vilandra, if you'll follow me please."

Isabel stayed rooted to the spot, feeling a sudden surge of annoyance. "My name is Isabel." She gestured to Kyle. "And his name is Kyle. Don't act like he's not here."

Arrin stared for several moments, his face completely unreadable, before simply nodding once. "Very well. Kyle…Isabel," he said, begrudgingly, "if you will follow me please."

Isabel turned around to say goodbye to Julayna and to thank her for being nice, and was surprised by the look of anger on her face. She was looking at Arrin with narrowed eyes and her full lips had thinned considerably as she pressed them together. When she noticed Isabel looking at her, her expression changed rapidly. She smiled and nodded. "It was an honor to converse with you, Isabel."

Isabel, still shocked by the look on her face, swallowed and tried to smile back. "Thank you. It was nice talking with you too." She turned to the others. "I'll…um, see you later then."

Max didn't look happy that she was leaving. "Are you sure you're not hungry?" he asked.

Isabel tried to smile at him. "Yep."

"Very well, then," Arrin said abruptly, "Please follow me." Isabel got the feeling he was impatient. She looked at Kyle who nodded at her. The both turned and walked towards Arrin, who walked towards another door in the wall just to the left of the one they entered through. Isabel and Kyle walked side by side, not talking. As she looked around she wondered if the entire complex had been chiseled out of this granite-like substance. It was cold and gray looking and again she wondered where the light was coming from as they passed several more of the white squares. Was it filtered sunlight? But if they were really a quarter of the way to the planet's core, then it seemed a bit far for sunlight to travel. She shivered suddenly and wondered if her body was going into shock. She still had her jacket on and didn't seem to feel cold, but she could feel the hairs on her arms standing on end.

They continued walking in silence for several minutes, turning so many times to the left and right that Isabel was sure she'd never find her way back to the dining room. Abruptly, Arrin stopped, Kyle nearly running into him, and pressed his hand against another square of white granite. A door suddenly flew open, and he walked through. Kyle gestured for Isabel to go ahead of him.

When she walked inside, she stopped abruptly in shock. The wall opposite appeared to be made entirely of glass, or some other clear material, and outside it was one of the most gorgeous views Isabel had ever seen. It was another cavern, much like the one she had flown threw on her way down, covered in millions of tiny jewels. Once again, light reflected off them, creating thousands of tiny rainbows. Below was a body of water, or at least she assumed it was water. It was blue and completely clear, and she could see that the gems extended down into its depths. There was a waterfall across the way, with the water falling in a cascade down the side of the cavern.

When she was able to tear her eyes away, she looked at Arrin. "It's beautiful."

Arrin's eyes flicked towards the wall of glass and then back. "Yes. I suppose it is." He walked towards a smaller white square, in wall to the right of the one they had come through, and pointed towards it. "If you find the need to relieve or cleanse yourself, simply place your hand here."

"Will that work?" Kyle asked. Arrin looked at him. "I mean…you know, since we're not Antarians."

Arrin looked at Isabel. "They will work for the Royal family, given you have Antarian DNA present."

"Great," Kyle said, more to himself. "So I have to ask someone to open every door for me. That won't get annoying at all."

Arrin ignored him and continued walking around the room. "Should you find that you are in need of nourishment, simply place your hand here." He indicated a square on the wall to the left of the one they had come through. He indicated a large bed, or at least what Isabel assumed was the bed, in the middle of the room. "You will be able to rejuvenate here." He then stood in front of the bed in the center of the room with his feet spread apart and his hands in front of him, reminding Isabel of a military man, which she supposed he probably was.

Feeling like he was waiting for her to respond, Isabel nodded. "Right. Bathroom to the right. Food to the left. Bed in the center." She cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable. "Thank you."

Arrin simply nodded and walked towards the door. Kyle started to walk with him, but stopped when Arrin turned around and said, "I will leave you then." He turned back around and walked out. Before Kyle could leave, the door abruptly closed with a click.

Kyle looked over at Isabel with raised eyebrows. "I think Arrin thinks we're a couple."

Isabel laughed nervously and walked over to the white square next to where the door had opened, placing her hand on it. Nothing happened.

"Maybe you have to think the word 'open' or something," Kyle suggested.

Isabel placed her hand on the square again. Open.

Still nothing happened. She looked over at Kyle, who shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he was wrong," she said. "Maybe my DNA isn't enough to open the doors."

Kyle frowned. "Try the bathroom."

Isabel walked over and placed her hand on the square on the right wall. A door immediately opened. Isabel frowned at looked at Kyle.

"I don't understand." She walked back over to the door, with a sudden urge to panic, and placed her hand again on the square. When nothing happened she looked at Kyle, feeling her breath quicken as her panic level rose.

"I think we're locked in."

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! :) Reviews are greatly appreciated. :)