I awoke rather early the following morning and bounced out of bed with noticeable vigor. I momentarily contemplated if it was just nervousness, but concluded that I genuinely felt good. As I left my bedroom I went straight to the fish tank and checked in on the lion and deer to see if they were still real. And they were.

"Great. Yesterday was not a fever dream after all."

I set water bowls for each and then got ready for the day. As I went through the habitual motions of my morning routine my mind mused over my sinful redaction of information the night before. The choice had been made, and there was no going back, but the weight of it loomed over me that morning.
When it was time, I made my way back to the parking lot mentally braced for whatever I would be up against. I let my mind wander on the possibilities. Smuggled technology from overseas, illegal biological engineering, even illegal biochemical construction, all conceivable.
The three of them were already there waiting for me when I arrived. Naddia had a swollen duffle-bag hanging off of her left shoulder as she lifted an arm and waved an excited greeting in the morning sun. Shade, arms crossed, leaned in and whispered something to Naddia that made her stiffen and then shove her. I rolled my eyes at the scene as I moved past them and parked the car. I released the seatbelt and stepped out into the morning air. In my last private moments before the dance of interaction began, I raised my gaze to the sky as I quietly inhaled. The moment evaporated as the sound of their footsteps neared. My posture lifted as the muscles around my eyes pulled and my lips curled, transforming my face into a polite smile. I turned to greet them, "Good morning ladies."
Shade smirked devilishly at Naddia, "Go ahead, your sweetheart is waiting."
Naddia stepped forward rather timidly, "Right, I guess we should get right to the point..." she looked me over carefully, her visage melancholy. I suddenly was struck with an odd sensation, clearly, I meant quite a great deal to her and yet, she was but a stranger to me. She lingered in that moment, seeming to be standing at the edge of some daunting precipice, hesitating to jump for fear of what lay beyond. If these were different circumstances perhaps I would have been more sympathetic with her. I was not.
"Yes." I shattered the pause, forcing time to march on. She nervously nodded and then took an exceptionally large breath, "This world is one of many. My family calls them Shadows, you would call them parallel worlds. They all exist within a larger universe, or perhaps better defined as a multiverse. Shade and I are from Amber, it is the one true world from which all other possible worlds flow. People of my family are of a royal bloodline that can travel through these alternate worlds at will, and can affect the laws of probability within them. And I know you so well because...in another world we...um.."
"You were lovers." Shade interjected. A flash of anger crossed Naddia's face but she didn't stop, "But you died. And now there's a very real threat to all of existence that would wipe out all dimensions completely. I've come to uhm,...I'm hoping you'd be willing to come with me to Amber. It's the safest place for what's occurring right now...unfortunately." She muttered the last part under her breath as she met my gaze.
I let her words hang in the air for a moment, giving my mind time to process her insane rambling.
"...You do realize you are telling me that you've come from a completely different dimension,"
"Yes."
"and can manipulate this one with the power of your will,"
"Yes, well...sort of."
I paused and then continued, "...and the only reason you are talking to me, here, is because you want to rescue me,"
"Protect you."
"protect me, by bringing me with you to a different dimension."
"Yes."

"Well, ok yea, this all sounds crazy! But this is why I did what I did earlier; magic. By all accounts it can't be real here right? So you've got to ask yourself, how I was able to do that."
"...People have been known to demonstrate incredible tricks that baffle the mind and seem unexplainable."
"It seems you are in denial." Garm let his gaze drift lazily from a passing butterfly to me, "You don't consider me sufficient evidence?"
I shook my head, raised my hands, and backed up a step, "Stolen technology, sure, illegal biochemical mutations, sure, but this, you are trying to convince me of utter fantasy!"
"Ugh, oh come on Alaric!"
Naddia's tone of familiarity took me off guard and unsettled me somewhat, which seemed to dismay her further. She quieted herself for a moment eventually raising her gaze to meet mine once more and spoke softly, "Can you trust me for…" She let her eyes slide down the road parallel to the parking lot we were in and then pointed, "just to the end of the road there?"
I expressed a small squint of confusion, "I do not understand what you mean."
"Can you trust me?" She looked back at me with a hopeful expression, "Let's go to the end of the road, if you still don't believe me by then...then…" her eyes fell.
There is a point we reach in our lives when it is no longer possible for us to continue living the life we have; fate, in her fantastical and disconcerting wisdom, will present a fork in the road. Or so it would seem. However, the ideal path has already been blocked long before the moment of realization, pushing us to continue forth into the wilderness and cut through the tangle of the path untraveled.
"...Fine."
She froze for a moment, as if in shock and then began to stifle a small smile.
"Yes, yes, fine. I am willing to humor you. To the end of the road."
"And while we are being forthcoming," I shifted my gaze to Shade, "your smile disturbs me."
"Good." Shade sneered, and then turned to Naddia, "Alright, you got your little pet. Let's go."
Naddia folded her arms, fishing for an apology "Excuse me? Don't call him that."
Shade ignored her, "Car will probably be fastest, we'll take yours." she pointed to me and then walked over to it, "I'll drive first."
"Ah, no." I bounded over and grabbed her arm as she opened the driver side door.
I immediately released it as her eyes flashed a terrible wrath that bore into me. It simmered there, under the surface, with only a thin layer of inhibition holding it back.
"This is my car. I will drive it...please."
Shade stepped back silently and gestured for me to get in, and then slammed the door shut behind me. Naddia was already in the back seat with Garm as Shade slid into the passenger's seat. I was quite ready to get this little venture over with and expel them from my car and wasted no time turning the ignition and backing out of the lot.
"Your pet touched me. Make sure that never happens again. Or don't, if you don't mind his pretty little face getting ruined."
"Excuse me?" I looked at Shade incredulously as she ignored me.
"Shade!" Naddia yelled in frustration. I could tell by the sound in her voice she was inept at dealing with her cousin.
"Do not worry Shade. I do not make a habit of making the same mistakes twice." I replied dryly.
"Good. It's good he's intelligent enough to learn basic rules."
I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw that Naddia was about to burst. I remained silent as I exited the parking lot.
"Shade, I swear by the Unicorn if you ar-"
"Please may we open a window." Garm interjected imploringly.
"Half way only." Shade replied, and Naddia leaned over to lower it.
"I can do it." Garm growled and placed his paw on the button next to him.
"Follow the road. And don't crash the car." Shade commanded.
"It's alright Alaric, just listen to her directions, and keep calm."

"Keep calm? Why would- oh...crap."