Chapter 3

Door 1

Patricia sat on her bed, trying to remember what made Alfie sick a couple years ago. She remembered that he came back from the doctors for something, but she didn't know what. In this world, this door, she had her own room. Since there were four of them, and four rooms, she was just that... lucky.

"Come in," she said when she heard a knock on the door. The other three came in and smiled at her.

"We thought we might show you why being here... isn't a bad thing." Willow said. "Where would you like to go today?"

"Home, can you manage that?" Patricia snapped. Willow shrunk back, and Patricia felt a little guilty. Whatever was wrong with Willow and the others wasn't their fault. No need to snap at them because they don't know what's going on.

"How about the beach?" Mara asked. Eddie and Willow smiled. "Come on Patricia, please?"

Patricia grunted as Mara pulled her downstairs. Patricia had to admit what happened next was pretty amazing. When they opened the door, now unlocked and able to open without any problems, she thought for a heart lurching moment that they'd finally be able to go home. Instead, in front of her was a beach as if they lived on the coast of Costa Rica or Hawaii.

Willow giggled and ran out onto the boardwalk, and then began to run on the sand. She ended up falling, but welcomed the sand on her face and in her hair anyway. Mara quickly followed. Patricia stood where she was.

"Come on, you can't be in a bad mood here." Eddie smiled at her and took her hand in this. She smiled at their hands despite herself as he lead her out onto the beach. For a moment, she was convinced it was some kind of illusion, but the sun felt very real. When she took her shoes off, the sand felt very real. When she stepped into the waves, they were very cold and still very real.

She was smiling. She couldn't help it. Eddie let her bury him in sand and turn him into a sand merman, and she made a huge sand castle with Mara and Willow.

Even the weather was perfect. They sat and watched the sun set. Eddie found her hand again. "Patricia?"

"Yes?"

He sighed. "In your world, were we uh... I don't know..." Eddie stumbled over his words. "Were we... good friends?"

Patricia smiled to herself. "We were really good friends. But we didn't like to act like it."

"Why?"

"Because we're both stubborn." Patricia shrugged. "Especially me, and I wouldn't let us be, uh... friends."

"What changed your mind?" Eddie asked. Patricia thought back, and found blankness. She groaned.

"I can't remember." she said. He frowned and nodded. "But I know there was a turning point, and we became... well we became, really good friends."

Eddie chuckled. "I remember missing someone. Someone really close to me."

Patricia smiled. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, I would think about them every day. Until I couldn't remember who it was I missed so much." Eddie said. "Do you think you, uh, know who that person is?"

Patricia smiled to herself and squeezed his hand. "I think I may have a pretty good idea."

Door 3

KT and Mick had the decency to move away from all of the people so they could talk in private. They were a few feet from the village. "You found the door then?"

"Yeah it was door two." Fabian said. "Apparently, an hour in the second door is a year in the uh, well here."

Mick raised his eyebrows. At a closer glance, it was apparent that their days weren't nice to them either. They were in much better shape than Nina, but they were still scared up. KT had a bad scar on her cheek, and Mick had one on his neck. Those were some of the areas visible to him behind their facepaint.

"What's with the black face stuff?" Fabian asked.

"All of the ratnici wear it." KT explained.

"I'm sorry, what?" Fabian asked, before deciding he didn't care. "Look, how could you abandon Nina?"

They shifted a little, looking uncomfortable. KT said, "We didn't."

"That's not what she told me." Fabian said.

"I don't know what she's told you-" Mick began.

"Oh, then I'll let you know." Fabian said his anger flaring up. "She said after you guys were captured by the people here, she escaped and when she saw you again you decided to help out these-" he motioned to the village, "-people instead of staying with her. Nina, you know, your friend."

They looked at each other. "You don't know the full story." KT said. "They were nothing but great to her and she didn't appreciate it. She chose to run. These people are the victims here!"

"Everyone used to live in this small society. And then a group of rebels broke off and began to attack everyone else. The people here, they don't even want to fight, they want peace, but the rebels don't want that." Mick said. "The pobunjenik- er... rebel leader, Maya, wants to take down Anajah and rule herself."

"She is not the legitimate leader, we're just trying to help put things back in order." KT said.

"I don't know any of these people, therefore I don't trust them." Fabian said. "But I know Nina, and I trust her. And I would never abandon her."

"Fabian we didn't abandon her!" KT yelled. "She ran from us!"

"And she's not the same person she was when you knew her either." Mick said. "She's helped the pobunjenik trupe by doing things you could not believe."

"We can't support her." KT said. "You just don't understand."

"You don't know everything." Mick said. "You've only just gotten here. We've been here for a while."

"We wouldn't be separated like this if it weren't necessary." KT said.

Fabian shook his head. "Have you seen Nina lately? Do you know the shape she is in?"

They nodded slowly. "Last we saw her was in battle a little over a week ago. She can't be in much worse shape than she was then."

"Well she is." Fabian said. "I mean, maybe, I don't know how she was then. But I know now she's lying unconscious on the ground because of your people."

"What?" KT said, genuinely surprised. "No, they're against unnecessary violence. If she was struck down it was because she attacked first."

"You don't have to go down her road." Mick said. "In fact it'd be better if you didn't."

"My loyalty is where it's supposed to be, with Nina." Fabian said. Mick looked sad.

"Then you have to understand that you give us no choice." Mick said. Fabian stuck something in his neck that made him instantly droozy.

"It will give you a peaceful sleep for a few hours." KT said. "We can't have you go with the rebels. It will just cause more troubles."

Fabian fell to his knees, the world seemed to melt into the ground, until there was nothing but darkness.

Door 4

They continued to train, helping Amber with different things. But where they seemed to be able to go on for hours without stopping, she needed a break. After a little while, Alfie sat down by her. "You know they're going out now. Joy and Jerome."

Amber's jaw dropped. "Really? They are?"

"Yup."

"But they don't act like it!" Amber watched them. "Are my love guru skills on the fritz?"

"Nah, they were a lot more lovey dovey in the beginning." Alfie said. "Made it pretty lonely here."

"Well now I'm here." Amber smiled.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." Alfie said. "Which is why I should tell you now, I kissed Joy."

Amber looked at him quickly. She wasn't expecting that. "When?"

"Well, after we had been here for over two months, they got in a huge fight and stopped speaking to each other. And she got lonely. And I was lonely."

"This was while she was with Jerome?" Amber asked. Alfie looked at his feet. "Alfie Lewis, I thought you knew better than that!"

"Come on Amber, you have no idea how lonely I was, cut me some slack." Alfie said.

"Does Jerome know?" Amber asked.

"Yeah, which made things pretty rough for a while." Alfie said. "But that was years ago now. It's as if you were still mad at Mara for going out with Mara."

Amber had to admit she was completely over that. "Okay."

"You're not mad?" Alfie asked.

"I always thought it wouldn't matter to me what the situation is, cheating is never acceptable." Amber said. "But I never thought of this particular situation, so you get a pass."

Alfie smiled. "Good, because since you're here I won't be lonely anymore."

Amber smiled too, and laid her head on his shoulder. It was nice.

Until it was ruined.

The Commander came in and Alfie jumped up so fast Amber fell to the side. He sent her an apologetic look. "Boy, what were you doing?"

"Just taking a break. S-sir." Alfie tried to get out without stuttering. Amber stared at him with her mouth ajar. The power this man had over them made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Break over." he said. "Anyway, I have a job for you. Follow me."

Joy, Jerome, and Alfie followed him, so Amber stood up to follow as well but was stopped.

"Not you blonde." he said. "It's not your time yet."

The doors slid shut, and Amber was left in the room alone. It made the room seem huge. She stood there for a while, not knowing what to do with herself. She didn't move or talk or anything. The doors slid open again and Jerome walked in alone.

"Alfie sent me to explain to you because he has to get ready. We have a job, we'll be gone for a few hours." Jerome said. "Tomorrow morning at the latest."

"What's the job?" Amber asked.

"It's hard to explain, but we have to go now." Jerome left again, and no one came back. Something told her whatever the job was, it wasn't hard to explain as much as he didn't want to. While she waited, she ate. Then she tried out some of the moves the others taught her, but she wasn't nearly as good as them.

It had been hours. Just as she was beginning to wonder where she slept, or if she slept, they came back. She watched them run up the steps with a bag of something. There was blood on Joy's shirt, which had her wonder if there was any 'dying' involved in the job.

"Alfie-"

He turned towards her, "I'll be down soon."

He disappeared up the steps, and she had to wonder what kind of job they had.