Ethereal

~Charlotte~

The room Tennin showed us to, was nothing I had expected. The walls were gnarled, riddled with knots and ridges. Almost like a very old tree trunk. The whole room was a muddy brownish grey, but oddly not unpleasant.

Apart from being identical in color to the walls, the furniture it's self seemed normal enough. a small sink and kitchen in one corner, a bed in the center of the room located against a wall and a door that led to what I could only assume was a bathroom. But by far the most extraordinary feature was the far side of the room. Every inch of it was made of glass and it showed a view of the entire city, in all its decrepit glory

I was entranced by the view. Entranced and slightly horrified. I walked over to the widow, letting my fingers brush the glass as I starred into a city of mud. I had been blindfolded when walking through it, but now I could see its bent, sunken, and broken personality and I felt hot tears breech my eyes.

"It looks worse from above" Marcie remarked joining me at the window.

"Why is it like this?" I asked

"Our city is dying." Tennin responded, staying where he was.

"What you mean like the economy? The government? What?"

"No the city. The city is dying."

"Like a living thing?" Marcie asked.

"Living thing! Living thing!"

Mushrooms voice came out of no where. Both Marcie and I looked around, but Tennin didn't seem to notice anything.

"Yes."

"You mean to tell me this city isn't a city, but something living?"

"No."

I tore my eyes away from the city and turned them on Tennin.

"Wow, you really have a way with words" I said letting the sarcasm ooze out of my voice.

"Look, it's not exactly something you can explain, it's knowledge citizens of Sub-Terra are born with. It just sort of, is."

I knew my face was easy to read. Confusion. I just couldn't wrap my head around a city being alive.

"Char, why is the sky blue?"

I looked at Marcie. What did she mean?

"Marcie that's not exactly rele-"

"Back home," she insisted "Why is the sky blue?"

"I dunno. There's some sort of science behind it but I-"

"Yes, yes, yes, but to most people why is the sky blue?"

"I... I guess it just is..."

"Exactly. It just is."

And then I understood what she meant. The people here just accepted it, because it had always been that way. And for the time being I would have to do the same.

"Hmm," Tennin said "You might be useful to have around, friend of the Koreask"

I closed my eyes and sighed

"It's Charlotte. And that is Marcie"

"She might be Marcie, but you are the Koreask"

I looked at the ceiling attempting to mask my frustration. Was this boy trying to irritate me?

"What an interesting choice of paint" I looked over to Marcie who had left the window and was brushing her fingers lightly across the furniture."

"It's not paint" Tennin said, his eyes still trained on me. It was unsettling.

"What do you mean? Then how does it get to be the same color as the walls?"

"He's right! look! It's like its attached!"

I hurried over to the small kitchen and ran my index finger along where the counter met the wall. Where there should have been a gap or a crack between the counter and the wall, the counter top met smoothly with the wall, making only a slight crease.

"It looks as though it's growing out of the wall."

"Growing! Growing!"

Marcie and I looked at each other, it seemed like we would have to get used to our little goblin.

"Very good Koreask" Tennin said

"Charlotte. Charlotte. My name is Charlotte!"

Tennin only shrugged indifferently.

"To me, your are the Koreask"

I sighed and sat down on a large chair near the window.

"So if your city is dying, what's killing it?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"We don't know. That's why we need you." I looked into his hazel eyes, was that a hint of pain I had detected?

There was a knock on the door, and one of our kidnappers entered. He had red hair, Ashan I think it was.

"I got it." he said to Tennin"

"Got what exactly?" Marcie asked cautiously

"You'll see." he said flashing her a smile. "We were only expecting one person for this room not two. So we'll have to... shall we say, adjust the settings."

he rummaged around in his uniform pocket and came up with a stick of sorts. He made a full circle around himself and then turned back to Tennin.

"Uh, Tennin, which one is it?"

"Over the door"

"Right."

Ashan walked over to the door and reached up inserting the stick into one of the knots in the wall and giving it a sharp twist as he did so. Then before my eyes the large bed in the center of the room split into two. I jumped up, taken off guard by the sudden change.

"Did that just-"

"Yes." Tennin said. "Wonderful, isn't it."

"What is this place?"

Tennin laughed dryly

"Koreask, welcome to the center of Sub-Terra"