Lyssa Chiavari - Different Worlds

JMJ

DIFFERENT WORLDS: An Iamos Novella
Copyright 2016 by Lyssa Chiavari.

Published by Snowy Wings Publishing
snowywingspublishing.com

Cover designed by Najla Qamber Designs.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Second Edition.

For my sister

Dear Reader,

The following novella takes place during the events of Fourth World , Book One of the Iamos Trilogy. It is recommended you read that book before beginning Different Worlds , as this will help you better understand Tamara and Henrys story . Havent read Fourth World yet? You can find a preview of the first three chapters on my website.

Thank you for reading and for your support,

Lyssa Chiavari

Everything changed when Isaak disappeared. Everything.

Of course, I didnt know it at the time. I didnt even realize he was gone, at first, or that he was in trouble. If I had, maybe things could have been different.

If Im honest, though, thats not even when everything changed. Really, it all started that Monday afternoon, when I got called out of my Algebra II class to go to the principals office. That hadnt given me a heart attack or anything. Id kind of been expecting it, what with the object currently residing in my basementthe one my friends and I had sort of accidentally brought home with us from the geological dig we were volunteering at on the weekends. But I was usually the sort of person that managed to avoid the principals office, so getting a call like that at all was still enough to send my nerves all over the map.

Maybe it was nothing, I told myself. I mean, GSAF had said they were going to follow up with us about the skeleton wed uncovered on Sunday (yeah, this wasnt exactly your typical geology project), so maybe that was all it was. A routine tell us about what you saw and then you can go home interview.

But somehow I doubted it.

My fears were confirmed when I made my way, palms sweating and heart pounding, onto the sky bridge to the administration building and found Isaak waiting for me. He told me that Joseph Condor knew about what wed done. We had some serious covering up to do. Which was fine. I was ready to do it. Id rehearsed my excuses all night the night before, when Id been too worried to sleep. I was prepared for Joseph Condor.

I wasnt prepared for what else happened that day.

That momentout there, on the bridge, Isaak and methats really when everything changed.

My face was still burning when I got to the administration office. The receptionist smiled at me as I came in the doorway. The nameplate on her desk read Mrs. Finch. Hi, she said. Tamara, right?

Yeah, I replied distractedly. I shouldnt have done that. Why had I done that? God, Id probably ruined everything now. Stupid, stupid.

Mr. Culver would like to see you, Mrs. Finch said. Hes in the boardroom down the hall. Are you okay, sweetie?

What? I squeaked, then cursed internally. Now was not the time to be acting like a space case. Not with Joseph Condor probably listening in on everything I was saying. I needed to focus on the matter at hand, not on the idiotic thing Id done out on the breezeway.

Your face is really red. Do you have a fever? Mrs. Finch came out from behind her desk, reaching her hand toward my forehead. I shrank back.

Uh, I dont think so, I said, smiling as convincingly as I could manage. Its probably just a sunburn or something. Ive been outside a lot recently. The room down the hall?

Yes, down here, Tamara. I jerked my head in the direction of the voice. Mr. Culver, the Academys principal, was leaning out the door of the third room on the right. I scooted down the hall after him, away from Mrs. Finch and her grabby hands.

Whats up, Mr. Culver? I asked, feigning ignorance. I got a notice that you wanted to see me.

Not quite, said a voice from behind the principal. I didnt react, though the sound made a shiver run down my back.

Mr. Condor, I said, smiling politely and reaching across the table to shake his hand, then the hands of the two men on either side of him. Is there anything wrong?

No, no, he replied as I sank into the chair next to Mr. Culver. Just routine. Were following up with all the students who were on site yesterday. I understand you were in Trench 21 at the time of the discovery. When I nodded, he went on, Would you mind telling me what you saw?

I drew a shaky breath. Of course not. I didnt see a lot, mind you. I was in a different grid area. Id never forget what happened, though, even if I did only catch the end of it. The person who found it was a college student, so I hadnt talked to them before. But when they figured out what , exactly, theyd dug up? Their scream was loud enoughif youll excuse the expressionto wake the dead. It rang through my fitful dreams all last night. I told Joseph Condor as much.

It kind of went nuts after that, I said. I was completely freaked out, so I went to go find my friends. Id blurted it out before I could stop myself, and I smiled awkwardly, hoping he wouldnt press that. So, of course, he totally did.

Yes, your friends. Priscilla Hwang and Isaak Contreras. He smirked. I just had a little chat with Isaak, in fact. You didnt run into him on your way over here?

No, I said warily. I havent seen Isaak since homeroom this morning.

But you did see him last night, said Condor.

What?

The man on Condors left gestured to the deskpad on the table in front of him. Geolocation indicates Isaak Contreras, Priscilla Hwang and another student not on site yesterday, one Arun Sandhu, were at your house for most of the afternoon and evening. Isaak Contreras didnt leave until well after 9:00 PM.

My stomach lurched. Were these people stalking me? Was that even legal?

Im sorry, I didnt know it was a crime to have my friends over, I snapped.

Joseph Condor lifted his eyebrow. You seem a bit jittery, Miss Torres.

Randall -Torres, I corrected him. Im sorry, Im just Calm down, Tamara. Theres no reason to get defensive. I sniffled, trying to make my emotional outbursts seem a bit more convincing. Im not used to being in trouble.

Youre not in trouble, Tamara, Mr. Culver said hastily. Mr. Condor here is just trying to get the facts about what happened. You havent done anything wrong.

Condor looked like he didnt appreciate the interruption, not to mention the assertion of my innocence. But I sniffed again and smiled at the principal. I understand. Im sorry. We were all just kind of scared last night. Finding, you know, a dead bodyI said this heavily, for maximum sympathy pointsis awfully scary. And especially for Isaak, since his dads been missing for so long