Author's Note: I've been writing a lot for this story lately so the next few chapters ought to be up every few days for the next couple of weeks at least. I hope everyone who has been reading is enjoying this so far... I know not too much has happened lately but the pace will pick up in the next couple of chapters. Of course, reviews are appreciated as they let me know that other people are reading and there's a reason to post the chapters.

~Star

Nightmares kept waking me that night until finally I couldn't stand it any more. My head was pounding and my body was restless... there must be something brainless that I could do. I sat up and pushed myself off of the bed; I could practice walking. Except that I couldn't stand. I leaned heavily on the bed until finally, I managed to stand on my own and take a couple of unsteady steps before my knee buckled again. But I was ready this time and caught myself on the bed's footboard. Grinning, I let go again and took another two steps, but then I fell again. Sighing, I punched the floor and sat resting for a few moments. Eventually, I resorted to crawling to Jill's room. It was a lot less difficult than I had thought but I needed to go slowly because of the strain it put on my ribs and I did feel a little stupid until I closed the door behind myself. I pulled myself painfully into the chair - I really hoped my ribs healed quickly - and studied Jill for a long moment. She was still breathing. I lay my head on the covers, gripping her hand and ignoring my ribs. Finally, for the first time since the plane crashed and after so many days of holding them in, I began to cry.

I was woken by a gentle shake on my shoulder and blinked blearily until I focussed on Magdalena and an older gentleman, who was looking at me a little sadly. He turned out to be the physician who had patched both of us up. He had been visiting her every morning but I hadn't been awake before. He knew no English apart from 'Hello,' but through Magdalena he told me that we could do nothing but wait for her to wake. He had set the broken bones (which I was happy to hear did not include her neck or back), but she had taken quite a blow to the head. He didn't know when she would wake. I couldn't help but notice the "perhaps she won't" in his eyes. When he finished tending to Jill, he checked my ribs and was satisfied that I was healing. He left me with a warning against moving too much and I just got into my bed again. I couldn't fall asleep, but pretended that I was every time someone came in. I tried not to think of Jill, or of what this place was, or of home. I ended up staring around the room and suddenly began to be uneasy that I was staying in someone's room, not just a spare. The room looked lived-in and had shelves of books and framed sketches. Eventually, I became curious enough that I dragged myself to the nearest one and studied the sketches - there were several that included Magdalena and the children - before pulling down one of the books. The script was like nothing that I had ever seen... it looked like footprints. I snapped it closed again. After trying three more, I finally found one in English. Granted, it was more archaic than I was used to, but it was English all the same. It turned out to be a great story, and I had always been able to lose myself in books, no matter how bad my situation was. I dozed and woke to read more, dozed again. Before I knew it, the sun had risen again and Magdalena was knocking on my door. I started and looked up to see her smiling. I gave a small smile and she came over.
"Pretty day, this. Thou ought come out of bed."
I didn't want to get out of bed, but she was probably right. I sighed, nodded, and let her help me stand. She helped me down the hall again and pushed the door open. I didn't want to see Jill just lying there again, but I looked up out of habit. My jaw dropped as I froze, paralysed when I saw Jill grinning at me. I gave a strangled sob as relief surged through me.
"Jill!"
She smiled and reached out a hand to grip mine tightly as I stumbled to the bed.
"Sue! I'm so happy that you're alright!"
"Me?! Have you seen yourself?"
She laughed. "Nope. If I look anything like you, though, I must look awful. Still, look at you, a hardened warrior."
I made a face as I collapsed into the chair that was still sitting there. "You mean a scarred and injured attempt at a warrior. Yes, my fighting did so much…"
"Sue, it was a dinosaur. We weren't going to win."
I looked at her and grinned. "We could have taken it."
She snorted and rolled her eyes. I laughed, not really having to say but so happy to see her awake and healthy that I didn't care. She chuckled before looking around. "How long have we been here? And where are we?"
I looked down, feeling foolish now for not finding anything out.
"Well, it's been three days - or it might be four - or maybe five? - since I woke up. Beyond that I… I don't know. I never actually asked any questions. Magdalena's the only person I've met here who speaks English. And Jill... have you seen the dinosaur?"
"What?!"
I could tell she was wondering if I'd taken a hit to the head but I waved my hand.
"No, no, there really is. A little one, Dinsoth... he's about the size of a dog and he's really cute."
"Strange place."
"Very, so far."
"Maybe we died."
"Maybe we got hit by lightning and transported to another world."
She gave me a dry look and I shrugged.
"Hey, this place is strange enough so far."
"True."
"Right out of a book, really... and I'd say it's impressive that we began our visit here with a battle."
"And a close brush with death."
"Yes, well… it was exciting."
She grinned. "Well, not as much at the time, but yes, it is now."
We both giggled. If anyone had been around, they would have probably thought we were insane. But we understood one another. There was a knock on our door.
"Yes, come in."
The door slowly opened and a girl of about ten entered with a tray full of food. She looked nervous as she regarded us hesitantly. We both smiled and beckoned her in. She smiled shyly, keeping her eyes down as she shuffled forward. As she set down the tray on the little table near the bed, she glanced up and we were favoured with a quick smile. Then she quickly darted out the door before we could say anything to her. The food was very good and I discovered that my appetite had returned. As we ate, we joked and speculated about what might have happened to us, each theory more fantastic than the last. Just as we were finishing, the door opened again and I saw the faces of my two little friends.
"There you are! Come here!"
They bounded in, bringing flowers, and spread the whole lot on Jill's bed. I looked at her sideways as she got a good look at Dinsoth and, while she paled slightly and her eyes widened, there was nothing to do but accept it.

Soon, Magdalena came in to find us all wearing crowns of flowers and the two children laughing hysterically at Jill's and my attempts to weave the stems together... we weren't very good at all. Glancing up, I caught a laughing smile before she turned stern again. She said something and the two children ran out. I turned to her.
"Magdalena... where are we, please?"
"Dinotopia."
Jill and I exchanged glances; her geography was better than mine so even if I thought I had heard of a place called Dinotopia (which I would have remembered), her shake of the head convinced me further. Not that we were expecting to be in a normal place. Magdalena patted my arm and smiled.
"Talk soon to Rystom. Bathe now."
I could tell she was talking to Jill and I made my way back to my own room. For the first time, I looked out the window and my eyes went wide. A huge canyon expanded before me and I could tell that I was looking miles across it. Birds soared above and dove below, disappearing beyond the ledge of the cliff that ran in front of my window. I gaped, not even understanding what I saw. It made the Grand Canyon look small. My head reeling, I crawled back into bed, suddenly absolutely exhausted again.