I jumped. Peter was perched on the oak tree beside the front wall, twirling something around in his hands. He jumped down and grinned at me.
"What do you want Peter?" , I hissed. "Do you know what I've been through in the last few days? I don't think I can take anymore shit."
He frowned at me. "Why are you always cursing?"
"What does it matter? Why are you here, Peter? What do you want?"
"You know what."
I glared at him. "Be a bit more specific."
"I need your help! We all do!"
"Who's 'we'?"
He sighed. "This is difficult, I know."
"Then explain it to me! So far I've gathered you want my help with 'your world'? What does that mean?"
"Just sit with me" , he said, indicating to the tables and chairs on the further side of the garden.
I groaned. "Back to square one."
He laughed. "Maybe, yeah."
I sat on one of the chairs and suddenly felt very emotional. Just months before we all sat there on a sunny afternoon eating, Joseph, Ma, Martina and me. The feeling of Martina's chair never being occupied by herself again stirred up my stomach until it was in knots.
"Hello? Come in, Remy..."
I came back to earth unwillingly. I wanted to hold onto those memories and pretend they were still real and happening in front of me.
"So" , I said briskly. "Explain."
He hesitated. "Back in 1906, I was an orphan. Well. I still am. Anyways, I was in a group. Me and my friends pick-pocketed, just to help us get by. We lived in a small sort of apartment provided for us by a man called...James Hook. He rescued all of us, from workhouses and the sort. One day, he asked us to break into a posh jewelry shop. I was very excited, but the boys didn't think it was a good idea. Jimmy retaliated -"
"Jimmy?"
"James."
"Oh, right. Continue."
"- Jimmy retaliated anyways, and I was disappointed. I wanted to be partners with him one day, see. So I told the boys Jimmy was still going ahead with the plan" , he said sheepishly. "And we actually got into the jewellers, only to be caught by Jimmy who was there himself. The boys found out that I was lying, and they were angry. I followed Jimmy into a room at the back. He seemed to be looking for something in particular.
Then he found a small wooden chest. The boys came in and he asked me to find something to crack it open. I went to look for something, and I found this -" he holded up the thing he was twirling around in his hands "-and then from what the boys told me, Jimmy found what he was looking for."
"What was it?" , I asked, suddenly wanting to hear more.
"A glass orb. Not just any old one though. It had powers so unimaginable that it was hard to believe."
"Try me."
"A door to another world."
I raised my eyebrows. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. One hard knock and anything within a metre of it will be taken to another world, so different from this one. Anyways, Jimmy fell and the orb activated. Him and the lads were gone." Peter sighed. "I thought it was a bomb. But I soon found out what it really was. Jimmy was working for a man called . Fludd wanted the orb, and I came into contact with him. I decided it was up to me to get the lads back and I entered the world."
"Smart."
He grinned. "Yeah. I know. But still, I found the boys...the Indian tribe welcomed us and we stayed with them. And then..." , he trailed off sadly.
"And then?" , I pestered.
"Something happened to Jimmy" , Peter said quietly. "Who knows what. Maybe it was greed, or lust. Probably both and others."
"What did he do?"
"Joined up with the pirates. Thought they were good. The captain of the ship, Captain Elizabeth, decided he was useful. Soon they were in some sort of relationship, and Jimmy turned on us."
Peter snorted. "And do you know what he did? Because of him, one of my best friends was murdered. But wait, here's the best part! He himself killed my dad out of jealousy!"
"Jealousy of what?"
"My Mother! He loved her, but decided she would be ten times happier if her partner was dead! He lost in the little 'love triangle' , and he refused to accept it! Mother was expecting me and all!"
He took the object he was holding and thrusted it into the table, creating a little hole. He quickly took it out again and looked at me.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm sure Ma won't notice."
"So...what do you think?"
I frowned. "About what?"
"Um...what we were just talking about?"
"Right...that..."
"Do you believe me? Will you help us?"
"But what do you need help with?"
"Our world is dying, remember?"
"But why me?"
He shrugged. "Search me."
"Are you sure that the Shaman wasn't wrong? That maybe she got her voodoo mixed up a bit?"
He shook his head, smiling a little. "Nope. Like I said, Shaman's are very skilled and accurate. This one hasn't been wrong yet, and I highly doubt she got this wrong."
I bit my lip, hundreds of different thoughts flying around in my head, banging off my skull.
"Well? Do you think you can do this?"
I sighed and gave him a weak smile. "I don't suppose I have a choice, do I?"
He grinned. "Let's go then."
My smile disappeared. "What? Now?"
"Yep."
I debated in my head. What will I do when Ma and Joseph wake up to find me gone? What about school? And everything else in my life I was considering to leave behind, to help a different world I didn't know exsisted till now?
"Hey" , Peter said quickly. "You okay? You look a bit weird."
"I'm fine" , I heard myself say. "Just give me two minutes." I stood up and made my way back to the front door.
"Why? Where are you going?"
"I have to sort out a few things." I opened the door and slipped back inside, unheard. I crept up the stairs, relieved to hear both Ma's and Joseph's snores as I passed their room and into my bedroom. I sighed and began to change clothes. Some lads might think this a bit weird,
but I know I'm not getting caught in my crossbone kitty pyjama's in a new world where I don't know anybody.
I pulled on blue skinny jeans, and I discovered that were a bit big for me. I sighed and wrapped a black belt around my waist, buckling it shut. I removed the pyjama top and tugged a white checked shirt over my head and then dragged my jacket back on. I stumbled round my room in the dark, trying to quietly look for footwear. My light was really bright and very visible along the hall and I was paranoid Joseph or Ma might wake up and notice. My door also had a loud squeak, so I couldn't close it over.
I finally found a pair of soft ugg boots under my desk and pulled them on, grateful for the fluffy inside. I tiptoed out of my room, pausing in the hall once more to look in the door of Ma and Joseph's bedroom. I opened the door a bit more and I saw my Ma fast asleep, cradling a picture of Martina and me. I felt a large twang of guilt.
This would destroy her. She lost Martina, and now she's losing me for a period of time. That's no excuse though. I blinked back tears as I quickened my steps down the stairs and left the house, closing the door once again.
Peter was standing at the wall.
"Ready?"
I sighed. "Yeah" , I said. "Ready."