22.

Having travelled down into a cavern at the behest of Ellie, both Judy and Alison are in shock and awe of the sight of circular light which has emanated in front of a rock face. That blue and white light does grow and as it does it begins to move from its circular beginnings to take a more rectangular shape. That spinning movement soon settles into that rectangular shape and settles into a specific form, growing no more.

As Judy has already asked 'what the hell is that?'

She has no idea of what to make of it. Judy is not frightened and that is probably due to how relaxed Ellie is. A projection? A screen? A one-way interactive portal? Whatever it is, it is not something that should exist but does all the same.

Ellie definitely has some sort of hold on what is going on; sure, she has brought the other two to where it is they currently are so she must know or at least have some sort of idea of what it is they have come to. Alison, well she definitely does not feel so good, not in the slightest and not about anything that may or may not be happening.

'Relax' speaks Ellie. 'It is all good here.'

'So, you know what this is?' asks Judy.

'Yeah of course ... well ... kinda?'

'Kinda? What does that mean?'

An image begins to take hold upon that settled rectangular blue and white light and other colours soon settle to form that image. Judy reaches out and briefly touches the light with one finger, for a brief second, she is sure she could see her mother, she even speaks the word ... 'mum' but that is not who the image wants to settle upon. With the touch of her finger, the light wobbles slightly, temporarily rippling and blurring the image.

'Guys, I don't like this' speaks Alison.

'I'm sure it's all fine, isn't that right Ellie?' Judy is considering the possibility of possibly somehow connecting with mom, rather than observing in any way, how this moment may be affecting the other two.

'Yep, I wouldn't have ya both here otherwise.'

'So, what is it that we are looking at?' Judy asks with the image seen, having indeed settled.

'That is the desk in Mister Perkins classroom.'

'Really?'

'Yeah.'

Judy jumps back suddenly when some sort of movement occurs on and around that desk.

'What was that?'

'That there on the table is a mug of coffee. Mister Perkins must be in his classroom.'

'What? This is happening right now?'

'Yep.'

'How can that be?'

'Watch, there is more.'

Ellie moves her right hand slowly towards and then through the light. She not only reached into the light, but she manages to take a hold of that coffee mug and bring it into the cave.

'Holy hell, what just happened?'

'I reached in and took Mister Perkins coffee.'

'No, you didn't, you couldn't have, there must be some sort of trick here.'

'No trick. This is Mister Perkins coffee, see for yourself.'

'He can't hear us, can he?'

'He can't at all. Well at least I don't think he can.'

The coffee Ellie brought through. It is hot, definitely freshly made. You hardly could get freshly made coffee in just any cave, surely not. Mister Perkins returns to his desk and sits and is immediately confused as his coffee is indeed gone. He looks around and sees no one and nothing out of the ordinary. Whatever this thing is, it seems as if it is a one-sided mirror or something to that effect. The girls can see right through it and even interact somehow, but Mister Perkins sees nothing out of the ordinary.

There is a brief pause It is only after this pause ends, when Judy can out of a transfixion with this, whatever it is, that two girls notice something else quite strange.

'Hey, where did Alison go?'

Alison is not within the small circular cavern room and neither of the other two heard her leave. Judy and Ellie call out for Alison and begin to search for her. Neither girl notice the quick change in colour of the light they had ... activated. The search for Alison would prove futile for she is gone, gone where? Now that's the question, just one of many.

23.

Confusion would come and a lot of it at that, though that confusion would set out the path I needed to follow, that path which would explain to a degree as to what it is all about. Judy had been in her coma for about a week. Life goes on so I went back to school. Sure, who else would look after the library? It may be the school library though in more ways than one it was my library, Oliver's Library, I had heard many times others call it just that, and I needed to get the place in order.

As I said, confusion would come, and on this day, it came in the instant I arrived to the Library. Within the library on this morning there was a girl, a girl who not only looked confused but looked lost too.

'Are you alright?' I asked her.

'Where am I?' she asked in reply.

'In the school library, surely you must know this.'

'School library? Doesn't look like the school library I know. How the heck did I get here?'

I was and wasn't quite sure what she had just asked for surely one would know how he or she came to be in any place they so happen to be. I look around and see that this girl and I are the only two within the library. Thinking that I did actually hear the question she had asked, I would ask her a question.

'So, you did not intend to come here?'

'No, I didn't, I still don't quite know where it is that I am.'

'Where were you trying to go?'

'I wasn't trying to go anywhere in particular.'

'Alright then so, where is it that you were before arriving here?'

'I was in a cavern with two others, and then I wasn't. now I'm ... here.'

In a cavern? I thought to myself, there are no caverns anywhere near here that I was aware of. How strange? What else could I do at this particular moment other than introduce myself?

'Regardless of how it is you came to be here; my name is Oliver.'

'Oliver? I have heard Ellie speak of an Oliver?'

'Ellie? I don't think I know of anyone named Ellie.'

'Yeah, I heard her mention that name to Judy.'

'Judy? Blonde hair, hazel eyes, fifteen years old?'

'Yeah, that sounds right, so you know Judy?'

'I do, she is still in hospital at the moment. I will be going back there after school if you like to come with me.'

'Hospital? No, no, Judy was with me and Ellie, in the cavern, just moments ago, right before I somehow ended up here. She wouldn't be in a hospital.'

'Huh, now that is indeed interesting.'

***

Indeed, Oliver does head back to the hospital though he does so at lunch time rather than after school. As it is, Alison does not belong to this school she somehow has been transported to and she does not know what to be doing with herself, so Oliver suggests she stays where she is. She does remain in the library until Oliver returns. He takes the rest of the day off and she accompanies him to their destination. Thing is with Oliver is that he understands to some degree as to what is going on though he is at a complete loss as to how Alison has come to be where she is.

Throughout the fairly short journey from library to hospital, Alison had no idea of what to expect. Of course, Oliver had told her that they were going to see Judy. This cannot be, as far as Alison is concerned, for Judy is alive, well, and active, and not unconscious resting in a hospital bed. The realization of her situation does hit right at the moment Alison sees Judy in that hospital bed. Emotion however does soon takes a hold of her.

'This can't be, it is not right' come the muffled words.

Alison's hands cover her mouth, and her tears begin to flow. She cannot even begin to understand what it is that is happening, and neither can she imagine what is happening back at that cavern she had gone missing from. Oliver can at this point inform Alison of what it is he knows. He cannot just simply send her back to where it is she is from, it doesn't quite work like that, but still, it is almost as confusing to him as it is to Alison.

Does she believe what she has been told? She must do, for how else can she explain what she has already seen for herself. Not quite sure what to think themselves, Judy and Ellie have left the round cavern room and have gone in search of their missing friend. Despite having experienced whatever power it is, which has brought Judy and Ellie, a power which oddly felt perfectly natural at the time, there is nothing that they can directly access which allow them find Alison.

Sure, as far as they know, Alison may have just got spooked and went off all by herself. In that then, Ellie is just as confused about what it is she had shown Judy as Judy is herself. She no more understands it than she could understand the workings of anything else out of the ordinary. Some things just are, is something she can't accept for everything.

Mister Perkins has been knocked out at his desk in his classroom only after a darkness had stepped through that blue and white light vortex from the cavern into that classroom. This darkness has taken shape, the shape it or he had been before becoming darkness, before having disappeared and he is ready to create as much havoc as he possibly can. A former bully is ready to continue causing havoc. This activity goes unwatched and unseen by the distracted girls as indeed they have vacated that cavern.

If something had previously been holding him back before, preventing him from reaching what he had targeted then a way to overcome such a barrier may have been found and right now that bully is not so far away from Judy and Ellie.