The Two Worlds Read Online Free PDF Page B

listened to the sounds of people outside, walking on the
sidewalks and shouting at the mailboxes that blocked their
way.
    “ So,” Dia said, interrupting
my peace, “what’s on the schedule for today?”
    “ I’ve got a meeting,” I
remembered, plopping back down on the couch, “with my group at
eight thirty.”
    “ Well, you better get a move
on. It’s seven forty-five, and you’ve got to catch the
bus!”
    I jumped up and looked at the clock on
the wall, which winked and showed me that Dia wasn’t
lying.
    “ Uh-oh!” I yelped and dashed
up the stairs to take a shower. Nia had created me a pretty cool
wardrobe, which I had Awakened the night before.
    Fifteen minutes later I ran back down
the stairs, looking fabulous, and was about to open my door when
the doorbell rang.
    “ Who is it?” I asked both
the person on the other side of the door and Dia.
    “ It’s your neighbor, Rena,”
the person answered. I opened the door to find a girl about my
height and age standing there, with bright orange skin and long
blue hair. Her friendly eyes had a red tint to them, and she tugged
self-consciously at her blue hair. She gave me a nervous grin and
stuck out her hand. “Like I said, my name’s Rena. Rena Hall. Nice
to meet you.”
    I shook her hand, and then stepped back
like she was going to explode at any minute. Rena blushed a sort of
fuchsia color and repeated, “Nice to meet you.”
    “ Er...nice to meet you,” I
replied, regarding the rainbow-colored girl with suspicion. I
wasn’t all that keen about meeting new people on my own yet. “What
can I do you for?”
    Rena laughed a wonderful musical laugh,
and I found myself smiling, too. “What a wonderful expression!
‘What can I do you for?’”
    “ Thanks,” I grinned. “I’m
from the south.”
    “ Oh, the south of the Bubble
or the south of Yuron Lake?”
    I stood confused for a moment and
realized she must be referring to the planet. “No, no, the south of
the United States...Mississippi to be exact.”
    She paused, mirroring my confusion and
then shrugged. “Either way,” she chuckled, “you still sound funny.”
Odd as she was, she didn’t offend me and, from what I could make
out, didn’t have any weapons of any sort hanging off her. I invited
her in, but she shook her head. “Actually, I’ve come here to get
you so we can move on.”
    “ Move on?”
    “ Yeah, the meeting starts in
a half hour. We’re in the same group.”
    I closed my door—and heard Dia lock
it—and started down the sidewalk with Rena. The sun was beaming
brightly, but there was also a warm breeze, and I felt as though I
should be walking down the beach, allowing sand in between my
toes.
    “ So,” Rena began after we
walked in silence for a while, “what’s your story?”
    “ My story?” I sidestepped a
small creature that had thick gray skin, black eyes, and a snarl
composed of yellow teeth. “What was that?”
    Rena glanced back and said,
“Elf.”
    “ Oh. Um, my story...don’t
really know what you mean.”
    “ I mean, who are your mom
and dad? Are you a full-blooded Awakener or are you a mixed breed,
like me?”
    The thought that there were different
races of Awakeners never occurred to me. I shrugged. “I don’t know.
I’ll have to ask my sister. What about you?”
    “ My mom’s an Undine, and my
dad was a Death Walker.”
    “ Undine?”
    “ Yes...”, Rena paused for a
description, “they’re creatures of the sky who protect Turgor. My
mom’s on the force to protect Tormey, but Undines are everywhere.
They ensure justice. They all thought that I was going to be a mere
wizard like my cousin Tilly, but I met Paul two nights ago and here
I am.”
    “ So Undines are sort of like
cops?”
    “ Cops?” Rena blinked and
gave a loud laugh. “Oh, such weird language.”
    We continued to walk down the streets,
dodging people, animals, and mailboxes, and Rena pulled out her
DiGi to consult where the actual meeting was.
    “ The DiGi tells me