Caroline was not a young woman. She was in her mid-thirties, and was barely 4'11 in height. She had bright crystal blue eyes, and wore her blonde hair in a short curly cap.
And she was rather on the chubby side.
Caroline was chubby because she was born with spina bifida, and normal exercise routines were not easy. So she went about her day, walking around with the aid of crutches, and was always grateful that she could walk at all. In fact, Caroline was bright and cheerful about everything, and never had a bad day...ever.
Everyone called her Carol of the sun.
Some people with her affliction were wheelchair bound, but not Carol. Carol struggled with crutches because it was better to struggle with crutches than to accept the alternative---not walking at all.
And rather than seeking others to help her with her physical limitations, Carol became a nurse herself so that she could care for others who could not care for themselves.
Mira loved Carol, for all these reasons and more.
This was why the first thing she thought of was...how in hell did Daran know about Caroline, and the second thing she thought was--he'd better not bully Carol or she would sic Zander on him.
"Carol???" She breathed.
"Yes. When you left, she got worried and came to the house looking for you because you missed going to work, and she could not contact you. De Erick Rashak and I met her at your house."
"Did you tell her the situation?"
"Yes. At first, she was surprised and worried, but once we explained to her what happened, she gradually accepted it."
"How was she able to accept the fact that you and Erick are from a different world?" Mira eyed him with suspicion. "Carol is one of the most rational people I know. I don't think she believes in magic."
"I--I used my Universe Life Energies to perform various--various tricks and...well," he nervously glanced at Zander with a shamed face.
Zander narrowed his eyes.
Mira's jaw dropped. "Y--you put on a magik show for Carol???"
Daran nodded.
She could feel the room's temperature drop by ten degrees. The chill was coming from the man sitting beside her.
"I am truly, deeply ashamed, Master." Daran hung his head. "I used the Universal Life Energies in a careless, frivolous manner, and not giving it the respect that it deserves. Please punish me so that I will never forget this transgression."
"Wait, wait, wait." Mira waved her hands at Zander. "Don't punish Daran. I want to hear what he did." She turned back to Daran. "What kind of magik tricks did you do to prove to Carol that you and Erick are not from Earth?"
Not looking at Zander, Daran mumbled his answers. "I toasted some puffy sweets that Carol called marshmallows using--using fire from my finger tips--"
Zander's face darkened.
"And?"
"And I put a lightning bolt through a tree." Daran's face was flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh my God! You put a hole through one of my trees?"
"I'm sorry, m'Lady." He wrung his hands.
"No, no. It's ok." She rubbed her forehead and gave a faltering smile. "What else did you do?"
"Well, I also made some folded paper birds fly around. A--and I picked her up and took her onto the roof of your house."
Mira gasped. "How did you do that?"
"I just picked her up and jumped onto the roof from the garden." He stated matter-of-factly, as if it was no big deal. "I wanted to show her magik was real in Ashrya." He blushed. "She thought it was flying."
Mira's eyes began to shine and then she laughed. It would have felt like flying to Carol, who struggled just to make it across the room.
She wordlessly reached out for Zander's hand.
Zander gently squeezed her fingers, and then sat back on the settee. Turning back to Daran, his eyes slightly softened. "You do understand that your actions were frivolous, and lacking in respect for the powers of the Universe."
Daran nodded. "I understand, Master."
"I am willing to overlook your transgression this once because of the delicacy of the situation." He shot Daran a warning glance. "But NEVER do that again or you will be expunged from working magik henceforth. You are hereby demoted to Elemental Adept."
"Yes, Master." Daran bowed his head, sighing with relief. "Thank you for your leniency and mercy."
Mira thought it wasn't that lenient, but she wasn't going to push Daran's luck. She turned back to Daran. "So once Carol grasped the situation, you were able to explain to her how I fell through the rift?"
"Yes. She knows what happened to you and Zander." He looked down at his hands. "Before we left to return to Ashrya, Carol said she wanted to come here to see you, but she was afraid she would cause you--trouble."
"Wh---why would she think that?" Mira stared at Daran, unable to believe Carol would be hesitant about something like that.
"Because she has trouble walking…" Daran trailed off. Then he turned to Zander. "But I told her that the Master could maybe take a look…"
"Is it possible?" Mira turned to Zander.
Zander gently raised her fingers to his lips. "Anything is possible."
Tears sprang to her eyes.
Without looking away from her face, Zander waved a finger at Daran. "See if you can bring her here by morning's twilight."
"Yes, Master. I will go prepare for the rupture sequence." Daran stood up, gave a swift bow, and left.
Alone again with Zander, Mira could barely keep her tears from streaming down her face. It wasn't that she was sad because she missed her world.
No.
She did not miss Earth at all. The real reason was the fact that she could disappear from the face of the Earth, and nobody would care, or even know...with the single exception of Carol.
Zander held her in his arms and allowed her to cry--without asking her the reasons--without saying anything at all.
So she cried for the grievous loss of her parents. She cried for all those lonely years living alone with only a little dog for company. She cried for having been gifted such precious beautiful people into her life--like Carol--and now Zander.
She cried until she was exhausted, and his shoulder was wet with her tears, and then Zander carried her to her room and placed her on the bed.
He sent all the handmaidens out of the room. Then he removed her clothes and helped her into her loose white nightgown. He washed her face with a warm wet washcloth, and then he turned off the lights.
Then, he slipped into bed with her and held her until she fell asleep.