The next few months passed by in a daze. Nathaniel had known better than I where we had been, though even his idea had been pretty vague.

Anyway, he had found us a way into civilization. It was a small town called Yond. We'd found and rented an apartment sort-of-thing that had one small bedroom, a bathroom, and a tiny kitchen/parlour combination. He had given me the bedroom and he slept on a tiny sofa-type of thing that was way too small for him. I had tried to convince him to trade because I could fit on the sofa, but to no avail. He instisted that I should be very comfortable.

(He'd used the whole lady-gentlemen scenario.)

Anyway, we were masquerading as a married couple from Ayortha. My name was now Acacia and Nathaniel's was Eugene.

I got a job embrodiering for a talor and Nathanial got a job as a carpenter.

I guess we did a pretty good job with our fascade; no one seemed to find us suspicious.

Our life was pretty routine - get up, eat some breakfast, go embrodier, go home, talk for a few hours with Nathaniel or Eugene, (whatever you want to call him) go to sleep, and do it all over again.

It was so boring. I don't know what I'd do if it weren't for Nathaniel.

We talked all the time, and I realized how much I liked him. He had his flaws, don't get me wrong, but they were worth it. I loved talking to him. He was my very best friend. I became closer to him than I ever was to anyone, Gabby and Myra included. He knew my every secret, my every favorite, my dislikes, my peeves, my style - everything. My life story, even though he didn't understand a lot of it, fascinated him. He believed me. I knew that if it had been Nathaniel that had been dropped into my world, I wouldn't have believed him. Probably I'd have called the cops or just thought he was insane. I made sure he knew this, too. It was amazing, someone knowing me that much. Knowing me so completely... knowing every fault and still accepting me for it.

He told me all about himself too. His life story was much more interesting than mine. Both his parents raised him. His father had been abusive and Nathaniel had lived in fear of him until Nathaniel had been around twelve and grew bigger and stronger than his father. When his mother had died, his father had gone berserk. He started working in the black market and would suddenly do anything for money. He tried to force Nathaniel to do his dirty work for him, but Nathaniel refused and even threatened to say something to someone if his father tried to get him to do something again. His father pointed out that VERY easily he could frame Nathaniel for some horrible crime if he tried to. If Nathaniel wouldn't help his father, his father was going to go as far as killing someone and framing him for it. So Nathaniel had run away. That's when I ran into him.

I swept the broom across the floor, mulling things over. Was this how my life was supposed to go on forever like? If I'd been in New York...

But I wasn't. I was in Yond. I sighed. I closed my eyes. I imagined I was in my classy expensive apartment in New York.

I froze.

I didn't know what to imagine.

I couldn't remember.

I couldn't remember what my apartment looked like.

I couldn't picture it.

I couldn't picture Myra.

I couldn't picture my parent.

I couldn't picture my best friend, Gabby.

This couldn't be happening.

I'd long ago come to terms with never being in New York again, but this was entirely different. I needed to be able to remember. It was the one link that I had to New York. If I didn't have that, I'd have nothing. It would be like being happy to not be in America...

No.

I couldn't let this happen.

I opened my eyes.

I had to reassure myself.

Somehow, someway, I had to remember something.

I would force myself to picture it with my eyes open. That way it would come for strongly.

I strained my brain, trying to see exactly what a street in New York City looked like at night.

The lights.

The bright, neon lights of the buildings, the cars...

With relief, I realized that I could see them forming on the whitewashed wall of this dreary little apartment. I could picture the buildings that followed then. I could see the street. The people everywhere.

I could see it! I could see the cars and the lights and the people and the buildings and everything! It seemed like the apartment was melting away, only to be replaced by New York City. It seemed almost real. It was definitly dizzying. It seemed to be solidifying every second.

I could hear it next.

I could hear the whooshing of tons of cars passing by me on the busy road.

I could hear people talking.

I could hear sirens blaring.

I could hear New York City.

I could smell it next.

I could -

"Sasha!"

I spun around and New York City instantly dissolved.

Nathaniel had come in. He had an odd expression on his face. It almost looked... fearful? But that didn't make any sense. Why would he look fearful?

"What?" I asked. I took a step forward.

"You - you - "

"I what?"

"You were-"

"What?!?"

"You were almost like - like - like a ghost!"

"Huh?"

"You were - it looked like you were only partly here..."

"How could I be only partly here?"

"I don't know!"

And then the idea struck me.