The Princess and the Papoose
Chapter 2
Working together, the Princess and the Papoose spent their days finding and curing everyone who needed their help. Under the Princess' kind rule and the Papoose's wise words, the inhabitants of the Kingdom lived in peace for many years.
Rain and Bethany stared for a long moment at the electrical charge running between their fingers, glowing and crackling like lightning.
Bethany suddenly gasped. "Rain! The stove!"
"Huh?" Rain turned around just in time to see boiling water leaking between the iron kettle and it's lid. She rushed to stop the stove top from getting any more wet as the water that had already dripped sizzled against the heating element.
"Good thing you didn't put the pasta in yet," Bethany commented.
"Psh, no doubt. Ugh, what a mess..." Rain mopped up what she could with a dish towel, then set the kettle back down after adding a little bit more water.
During dinner, Rain stated, "We should call the electrical company tomorrow."
Bethany quirked an eyebrow at her supper bowl. "Why?"
"See what that...weirdness...earlier was."
"Great idea." Bethany's tone said, 'and what, exactly, are you going to tell them?'
Rain glared at her across the table. "What? You don't think it could have been some weird power surge?"
"Of course not! I know," Oh, great, here came the imagination. "It was the aliens trying to communicate."
Rain rolled her eyes.
"What?" Bethany protested. "You know it's true!"
"Sure," Rain stood up and began to clear the table. "That totally makes sense." She wasn't in the mood to try and argue...once Bethany's explanation came out it was fact, and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.
Later that evening, the girls settled on an old Star Trek movie. They'd seen it dozens of times, but both loved it just the same. At around 10:00, they decided it was time to check in for the night.
Curled up in her nice, soft bed, with a candle burning and casting a gentle glow about the room coupled with a fresh apple-like smell, Rain's eyes drifted closed, and she slowly entered the dream world.
Light. Bright, harsh light. Sunlight!
Rain rubbed her eyes, then turned her back to the bedroom window to block out the morning rays.
Wait.
There was no east-facing window in Rain's room! She sat bolt upright. This was not her room. Had she fallen asleep in Bethany's room? She glanced around; nope, not Bethany's room. Another queen-sized bed sat a few feet away, and buried beneath a jumbled mess of pillows lay Bethany, fast asleep, completely unphazed by the light.
Am I sleeping? Rain wondered, nervously examining her surroundings. It looked like a hotel room...a nice hotel room, one she would never be able to afford.
She glanced out the window, but saw only the high-up tops of several buildings. It looked like New York.
Rain pinched herself; no, definitely still awake. Just wonderful. How in the world did she wind up in New York (or wherever this place was)?
"Bethany! Bethany, wake up!" For a moment, she sincerely feared that her sister might be dead, but after a brief moment and having been shaken, Bethany dug her way to the top of the bedding pile.
"Already?" She groaned.
"Seriously, Bethany, wake up now!" Rain felt her sleeve slip down her arm and instinctively pulled it back up...before she realized what was on her body; the silk nightgown she was wearing bore absolutely no resemblance to the black and pink sweatsuit she'd had on when she climbed in bed the previous night.
Rain ran a shaky hand through her messy hair, and was relieved to find at least that the way she left it.
Bethany seemed to be coming to, and she observed the room curiously. "...did I miss something?"
"Apparently."
Bethany suddenly sat straight up. "Okay, where are we?"
"Shh, Beth, don't-"
Ring ring! Ring ring!
They both fell silent and stared at the phone.
Ring ring!
Rain gingerly picked up. "...Hello?"
"Miss Ticket?"
"Yes..."
"You ordered a wake-up call, ma'am, 7:00."
"Oh...yes, thank you." She hung up.
"Rain? Who...?"
"I dunno, someone in the lobby I guess."
"Doesn't feel like 7." Bethany stretched and nearly fell off the bed.
"That's because pacific time is 3 hours different than New York...which means if this really is New York, it's only 4:00 in San Jacinto."
"You're being serious, aren't you...?" Bethany said, slowly.
Rain stared. "Why would I even attempt to pull of a prank of this magnitude?"
"Well, the fact that your clothes have changed and mine haven't, plus you woke me up-"
"I always wake you up."
They both fell momentarily silent, and Bethany got a strange look in her eye. "What if it had something to do with what happened last night?"
"What do you mean?"
"That weird...electrical thing."
"No, I know what you're talking about, I mean what does that have to do with this?" Rain gestured to their general surroundings.
"I don't know," Bethany replied, quietly. "Maybe we like...teleported or something!"
Rain groaned. "Bethany, I'm not in the mood-"
"I'm being serious!"
"Beth..."
"Rain!"
Rain could detect nothing but sincerity on her sister's face. "...we teleported?"
"Yes."
"Both of us?"
"Yes."
"...in our sleep?"
"Just think about it!"
"I am thinking about it, Beth! And I'm thinking it sounds like the craziest thing anyone's ever said!" The next thing Rain did was pick up the phone, dial the operator, and ask for the hotel's address. After a few moments, she said a blank, "Thank you," and hung up. She was silent.
About a minute passed, and Bethany couldn't take it. "So?"
Rain looked up. Her expression was grim. "We're in Manhattan."