Fantasia

Chapter 2

Eragon winced when his body slammed against the ground. Stunned, he lay still to allow his head and stomach to settle, bile coating his tongue. The surface was hard and the air was cold making him shiver uncontrollably. With chattering teeth, he slowly stood up once he had regained control of his senses. His jaw dropped. Before him lay the strangest city he had ever set eyes on. The buildings were as tall as a mountain and skinny metal lights lit up the walkways. It took him a moment to realize that there were two, one where people walked and another where strange semi-rectangular metal objects with wheels moved upon. If not for his pain, he would believe himself to be dreaming.

He heard loud music play in the behind him and decided to follow the sound. Where there was music, there was people and there might be someone he could talk to who could explain to him what had happened. His last memory of Alagaesia entered his mind; he was standing on top of a tall pillar in the middle of Vroengard trying to learn his true name. He had closed his eyes, exhaled, and began to meditate when his body was thrust forward and he felt the sensation of free fall. The action was so sudden that he did not even have time to think. Seconds later, he found himself in the city.

His leg throbbed as he limped out of the alley he was sitting in. Out in the open, he saw several young adults stagger around with beer bottles in their hands. Eragon shook his head and walked by without making eye contact. He did not stop until he had found the place where the music was being played, a two-story building with a sign that read, "Fantasia." Unsure what to expect, he began to head towards the doors. A burly man stopped him.

"Hey, the club is full. Get on out of here." Eragon examined the man further. His brown eyes looked black in the poor lighting as did his hair, making him look a little menacing. If his intense eyes did not scare off any unwanted people, his bulging muscles would have. Eragon was not scared, but he did not want to provoke the man.

"Oh sorry, I just wanted to…never mind." Eragon turned on his heel and headed the way he came. When the man was out of site, Eragon changed direction and walked down an alley behind the building. He smiled when he saw the back door, the door he hoped would allow him inside. He took a step towards his goal and froze. A faint sound caught his attention, a sound that was familiar to him. Squinting his eyes, he noticed the form of a girl curled up against the wall, crying.

"Hello?"

The girl looked up and rubbed her eyes. "Who's there?" Her voice held a note of fear.

"My name is Eragon." He held up his hands to show he meant her no harm. "Are you all right?"

"No, I am not all right. Just go away." She stood up and made her way towards the door.

"I'm sorry, is there anything I could do to help?" He asked. Deep down, he actually began to feel concerned for her, a feeling that took him by surprise since he had just met her.

"No." Her hand was upon the door and in one swift motion, she had it open. Without looking back, she walked inside.

Eragon sighed and followed suite a moment later. He scanned the room, but could not find her among the crowd. The amount of people that filled the room surprised him and he wondered how they could stand the music since he was already starting to get a headache from the noise. The room was also muggy from the heat and moisture that clung to the air. Hanging from the ceiling was a round glittering ball that rotated slowly, the light making the room sparkle. Along the wall was a long table with a man handing out drinks. Eragon trudged through the crowd of people and sat down on a round chair that turned when he moved, fascinating him.

He scanned the room once more and noticed that all the people were young, very young. He concluded that they were between the ages of fifteen to twenty. He could be wrong, but a majority did look to be around his age. Their dancing nearly made him blush as groups of people moved their bodies close together, almost touching. Some moves were more vulgar than others making him shake his head.

The music was not much better. From outside, he could not hear the lyrics, but now that he could, he frowned. Wherever he was, the people had very loose morals. He knew folk in Alagaesia were not much better, but it was never made public. "Can I get you anything?" The sudden voice made Eragon jump.

He looked at the man behind him and asked, "What do you have to offer?"

"We carry Coke products."

Eragon had no idea what a Coke was, so he nodded and said, "All right, I'll take a Coke." He hoped he sounded natural, but his self-consciousness began to ebb at him. The man returned shortly with a cup of the dark brown substance. When no one was looking, he sniffed it. A sweet smell filled his nose making his mouth water. He closed his eyes and took a sip. The liquid was cold and tasted like it smelled, sweet, but with a bubbly texture. He took another sip and decided that he liked the drink despite the lack of alcohol.

When he had finished the drink, he placed the cup on the table and crossed his arms. He had no idea who to ask for help since everyone seemed to be engaged in dancing. The ones who were not dancing were deep in conversation and he did not want to interrupt. Eragon sighed and simply waited. That was all he could do.

Several minutes passed before a group of girls exited the boisterous dance floor, one he recognized as the girl who had been crying. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but she was smiling as her friends tried to cheer her up. Eragon could not help but crack a smile himself. The girl was slim with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a strapless lavender dress that as cut off at the knees and shoes that made her look taller than she actually was. All in all, she was very pretty and reminded him of someone…but who?

Without meaning to, he found himself staring at her. A tap on his shoulder made him exit his reverie and into the strange reality he had been thrust into. A girl with dark brown hair and green eyes stood before him. "Oh, hello."

"What are you doing here?"

The girl was not hiding her anger. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't pretend to be stupid. You followed my friend in here to check-out, didn't you?" She balled up her fists.

Eragon did follow her inside, but entering the club was his plan initially as well. As he tried to explain to the girl about his motives, as another one of the girl's friends approached him. "All right Lilly, that's enough. Just leave him alone." The girl grabbed Lilly and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Eragon was chasing after them before he could think his actions through.

"What?" Lilly growled.

The venom in her voice made him recoil. Taking a deep breath, he regained his courage. "This is going to sound strange, but what is this place?"

Lilly looked at her friend and then back at Eragon. "Are you for real?"

"Umm…yes?" He felt stupid.

"You are at a night club called Fantasia. Jeeze." She took a step back and whispered into her friend's ear. Eragon felt bad for asking and began to walk away. His heart sank when he realized that people would only look at him like a madman, and he had to admit, he did sound crazy. His clothes were different and he knew that he stood out no matter how much he tried to blend in.

He did not get far when someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, who are you anyways?" It was Lilly. Her eyes had softened a little and she looked as if she felt bad for being mean.

"My name is Eragon."

"I am Lilly and this is Emma."

"Hello." He turned to leave again.

"Hey, where are you from?"

"Huh?" Her question sounded innocent enough, but as a stranger to their world, he felt it was more like an interrogation. "Not from around here to say the least."

"I've noticed. So, you traveled alone to Chicago?"

"Ah…" Chicago. The name danced around in his mind as he looked at the girl.

"I am alone, but I did not intentionally travel here. I am actually lost and am trying to find a way back to…" he paused. The girls had just begun to be nice to him and now he was going to sound like a lunatic again.

"Home? What did you do, miss your stop on the train or something?"

Eragon shrugged. Their world had so many funny names. "I am not sure how to explain my situation without sounding insane. Sorry, I should probably leave you alone. Thanks."

"For what?"

"For listening, I guess. Everyone has been ignoring me."

"I know the feeling," Lilly whispered under her breath. "Well, do you have a phone?"

"A what?"

Lilly pulled out a small object from her chest. Eragon averted his eyes, embarrassed. "If you try to run off with it, I will have my friend call the police, so don't try anything." She handed him her cell.

Eragon took the object from her, looking it over curiously. He noticed a crease and opened it up to find numbers and other symbols on one side and a black window looking shape on the other. He felt helpless. Lilly crossed her arms and waited for him to dial someone. When he just stood there, she sighed heavily. "Don't tell me you have no one to call." She took the phone back from Eragon and placed it back in her black dress.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Where are you from exactly? Maybe I can give you some suggestions?"

Eragon thought over her proposal before he responded. "I am from Alagaesia."

Lilly's face contorted in confusion. "Where is that?"

"I have no idea where that is from here."

Silence. Lilly was unsure how to respond and Eragon just shrugged. "Thanks anyways, but I had better go."

"Where?" This time Lilly looked concerned. "My friend's mother is on her way here. I guess you can wait with us until she gets here and maybe she can help you. That is all I can suggest at the moment." Eragon nodded and followed Lilly as she led him towards her group of friends. The girl he had seen crying, Nel, still had puffy eyes and he wondered what had upset her.

"Guys, this is Eragon and he is just going to wait with is, okay?" Nel eyed him curiously. Now that he was in the light, she could see him better. He was handsome and she could not help but think of how his features resembled her own. She shrugged off the thought and looked back at Lilly.

"I guess so."

A young man sat quietly on a stool spinning around next to the girls. He looked distressed as well and it was then that Eragon made the connection that he was the reason Nel was upset. The group welcomed him well enough and included him in their conversation. From them, he learned that they were celebrating a New Year, the year 2012. The revelation was startling and he had to steady himself, a moment that only Nel noticed.

An hour later, Nel's phone began to vibrate in her hand. She looked at it, raised it to her ear, and said, "Hi mom. Yeah we are by the refreshment table talking. Emma and Stephanie are getting picked up later by Emma's mom and the rest are leaving with us, I think." She looked at the group and they nodded. "I know, but what are they supposed to do? The train does not leave until seven in the morning and…Ok. We will meet you there. I love you too, bye." Nel pressed a button and put her phone away. "My mom will be here in about ten minutes and wants us to meet her at the club entrance, so let's go wait there."

Ten minutes passed by quickly. The longer he was with Nel, the more his curiosity grew. She was unlike the other girls in her group of friend and he wanted to know what made her stand out, aside from the fact that she looked like…him? He could not escape that fact. He thought about her mom next; he was curious what she looked like and how she acted. What made him want to know more about them confused him and made him feel like he was trying to pry into their private life, but the feeling never dissipated. There was a reason he was in Chicago and he needed answers.

A white rectangular moving object pulled up to the side of the walkway a few feet from them and made a sound. The girls looked up and Eragon saw their relief. A tall woman with blonde hair exited the object and met them halfway. "Mom!" Nel hugged the woman.

"Hey sweetheart," she said as she embraced her daughter. "You all right? You gave me a scare when you called."

"Yeah, I am fine, just hurt. You know what I mean." Her mother nodded.

"Come, let's get you all back home." Nel, Lilly, and Michelle said their goodbyes to Emma and Stephanie before heading towards the object. Cameron was already inside, waiting.

"Selena, this kid behind me kind of needs some help. I met him about two hours ago and he is like mega lost." Lilly said, gesturing at Eragon.

"Mother?" Eragon whispered to himself. The woman locked eyes with him and froze.

"That's fine, Lilly. Just get in the car now."

"Selena?"

"Now! Get in the car now." Lilly did as she was told despite her urge to question Nel's mother. Eragon stood his ground when she approached, cautiously. "Who are you?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer. The thought that her son was before her made her nervous. The last time she saw Eragon was when he was only an infant. Now, he would be almost eighteen like his twin sister, Nelda.

"I am Eragon." Selena could not restrain herself; she lunged forward and embraced him.

"Oh my son!"