The Realms of Ethair Read Online Free PDF Page A

headaches, vertigo. They would finally conclude
that the best solution would be to rest, have a healthy diet, and
take vitamin supplements. Aly learned about this and urged her
younger sister to come with her to Australia and have her receive
medical advice. Kristina was already tired of having herself
treated either like a lab rat or a patient. She refused to seek
help and remained obstinate in staying in her home
country.
    Kristina’s friends were also aware of her
recurring illness. They fitfully offered help when they could and
updated her on the goings-on in their lives.
    Liza had spurned Peter's attentions. They
had identical mobile phones which she unwittingly swapped. She had
answered a phone call with an unregistered number and discovered
that Peter had been lying to her all along. Mindy was both sorry
and relieved with the situation. It may have broken their friend’s
heart but, at least, Liza was thriving in her career more than
ever.
    Meanwhile, Mindy worked at a branch of her
family’s growing number of computer stores and had plans of her own
in expanding the business. And Nica had gone abroad to pursue her
Master’s degree almost at the same time Arty returned to his native
land.
    It all happened a year ago but felt to
Kristina like decades with days coping with her illness and tending
to her mother.
    Arty turned out to be a good friend. He
visited them from time to time and brought with him trinkets and
souvenirs from his travels. Sometimes, they sent each other email.
It was easier for Kristina to open up through their correspondence.
He probably knew more of her worsening condition than any of the
others. His replies to these were polite and concerned and gave her
advice on how to alleviate a specific problem.
    A week ago, Arty wrote stating that he was
back in the country. Still, he hadn’t made his arrival known to
anyone, not even to Fred.
    Kristina sat up from bed and tentatively
stood. The world around her shifted for a moment then steadied. She
was feeling better than most days and had the energy to polish the
article due on Monday. She found her sister in the study using the
desktop computer; her glasses reflected the light from the
monitor.
    “ I’ll be done in a minute,” Aly said
without taking her eyes off the screen.
    Kristina sat on a nearby chair and
waited.
    Her sister relaxed on the computer chair as
the printer fed paper.
    “ Arty called earlier ,” she began. “He said to remind you that
he’d be visiting you today, in case you’ve forgotten. He’s the
foreigner, right? Arthur Men-something.”
    “I haven’t and yes.”
    “I saw him with Fred’s mom on your
graduation. He was attracting a lot of attention from the ladies.”
She grinned wryly. “He’s not a playboy like Peter, is he?”
    “ He’s not that sort. He’s a good
person.”
    “Hey. Don't go all defensive on me.” Aly
raised her hands. “I’ve no right to judge your friends, anyway. I’m
just worried about you.” She retrieved her papers. “I’m going out
for a while. Jackie wants my opinion on a dress. We’ll talk
later.”
    Aly wouldn’t close the subject on taking her
to Australia.
    “ I’m still not going,” Kristina
called.
    She waited on the doorstep with an umbrella
as a makeshift walking stick. Kristina was getting nauseous again
and her surroundings were beginning to tilt violently every time
she moved. She would have called to cancel this meeting if only the
man kept a mobile phone.
    At last, the doorbell
rang . Thankfully, the
front gate was only a few steps away. She welcomed him in with an
effort not to be sick. Arty frowned at her pale face.
    “ I’m fine,” she said
automatically.
    “No, you aren’t. Can you walk?”
    “Yes.” She took a step forward and the world
revolved around her again. She lost her balance and almost fell on
the gravel if not for Arty’s quick reflexes.
    “ You can’t even move without hurting
yourself,” he snapped. Kristina didn’t know how to