Shelby and Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes. P. H. C. Marchesi
know how to take us to this address?”
In response, Loola’s goggles became as dark as a pair of sunglasses, her emerald eyes disappearing completely from their view.
“Loola has mappix goggles,” explained Lendox. “These goggles can translate any address, from any language, into a grid with coordinates that novians understand.”
“Got it,” said Loola, handing the crumpled piece of paper back to the amazed Marina.
Shelby was just thinking that Loola looked even more amazing with sunglasses – if that was even possible – when he suddenly realized she was gone. In her place hovered a silvery sphere that looked like a giant water drop.
“Where did she go?” he asked, quickly scanning the room for any sign of the beautiful novian.
“She is right in front of you,” said Lendox.
“That’s her?” he asked, his entire face sagging with disappointment. “That’s what she looks like?”
“All novians look like that, unless they are in social mode,” explained Lendox. “Perhaps it is a good thing.”
“What do you mean?” asked Shelby, pretending that he had no idea why Lendox was smiling.
“Novians have a type of paralyzing effect on those members of the opposite sex that are of similar age. It is a defense mechanism they developed over thousands of years against non-novians. Thankfully, it wears off eventually.”
“I don’t feel anything,” said Shelby, shrugging as casually as he could.
“Now,” said Lendox, picking Fran up in his arms as if she weighed nothing, “to get into the roomix, you need to connect to my energy field and form an energy chain. Marina, hold my arm, please. Shauna, you can hold Marina’s, and Shelby can hold yours. Ready?”
“What about Tippy?” asked Shauna.
They all followed Shauna’s gaze, and saw a whitish blob comfortably snoozing under the sofa.
“A cat!” whispered Marina, sneezing as if that discovery had made her allergies worse. “You want to take a cat with you?”
“I don’t have anyone to leave her with,” protested Shauna.
“Don’t you have a neighbor who can look after her?” asked Marina.
“Nope.”
“What about a friend?”
“We just moved here,” said Shauna. “We don’t really know anyone.”
“But we’re going to a hospital,” Marina said, turning to Lendox as if begging for help. “Hospitals are not pet-friendly.”
“Do you not think we can make arrangements when we arrive there?” asked Lendox. “It is, after all, a special set of circumstances.”
Marina glanced at Shauna, and met with an expression that was so pitiful she simply had to give in.
“Fine,” the aerospace engineer sighed. “Maybe while we’re there, I can get something for my allergies.”
Shauna’s face exploded into a smile of gratitude, and she hurriedly grabbed Tippy, who complained adamantly about being woken up so rudely. Shauna awkwardly put the cat in her backpack, and then grabbed Marina’s arm to form the energy chain.
“We are ready,” said Lendox. “Take a step forward with me.”
A step later, Shelby and Shauna found themselves inside a bright round space bathed in blue light.
“I’m feeling really sick all of a sudden,” moaned Shauna, dropping her backpack on the soft floor.
“Me too!” cried Shelby. “Everything’s blurred!”
Even Tippy, meowing in protest, wobbled dizzily out of the backpack.
“You’ll feel better soon,” said Marina, quickly holding on to Shelby before he fell. “I think your body gets used to it – Shauna looks like she’s doing better already.”
“Yeah, she always does,” complained Shelby, feeling nearly too sick to talk. “Nothing gets to her.”
“I can see that,” said Lendox, placing Fran on the floor against a cluster of pillows. “How do you like the roomix, Shauna?”
“It’s awesome!” she cried, sitting down next to her mother. “It’s like a super comfy living room.”
“Except that everything’s spinning,” complained Shelby. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up!”
“It will pass in a moment,” said Lendox, encouragingly. “It is normal to feel dizzy the first time one enters a roomix.”
“I get motion sickness,” complained Shelby.
“What you are feeling is not motion sickness, for one cannot feel motion in a roomix,” explained Lendox, helping Shelby to sit down. “Perhaps that is a good thing, as novians tend to be bumpy.”
“You’re sure we can trust Loola?” asked Marina, somewhat uneasily. “She seems kind of flaky to me.”
“Novians have a tendency to appear that way,” said Lendox. “Loola is absolutely trustworthy.”
“The people at the hospital are gonna freak out when they see her,” said Shauna.
“They will not see her,” said Lendox. “They will only see her trail – if they even see that much. I have instructed her to drop us off, and go back to Miriax for the time being.”
“Too bad,” muttered Shelby, his voice drenched in disappointment.
Shauna, Marina, and Lendox exchanged amused glances.
“Are your eyes beginning to focus?” asked Lendox, suppressing a smile.
“Yeah, finally,” said Shelby. “Did the lights just turn pink?”
“They did,” said Lendox. “We have arrived at the hospital.”
“Wow, Loola’s fast,” said Shelby, as an involuntary yawn forced itself on him. It was incredibly late, and he found himself wishing that he could just go to bed, and deal with whatever it was that they had to do later. Shauna too, looked drowsy as she held on to Marina’s arm to form the energy chain.
“You guys look like you’re fading fast,” said Marina. “Come on – we just need to do this, and then you can crash.”
“Crash into what?” asked Lendox, worriedly, as he picked up Fran.
“It’s just an expression,” explained Marina. “No one’s going to crash onto anything – well, except maybe onto a bed.”
“That sounds dangerous,” said Lendox. “No wonder you need hospitals.”
“Forget I said it,” replied Marina, holding on to the vice consul’s arm and completing the energy chain. “It’s too late to explain, anyway.”
As they stepped out of the roomix, Shelby and Shauna were both too tired to ask any questions, or to notice the hospital corridor with faded linoleum floors and harsh fluorescent lights. They were so exhausted that soon everything that happened felt like a dream. They stood by, in a sleepy stupor, as doctors came to meet them and took Fran away. Then they mindlessly followed Marina and Lendox to some sort of visitor area, and dozed off until they were finally allowed to go into Fran’s room.
“How long do you think she’ll be like this?” asked Shauna, gazing at her mother’s serene face.
“I do not know,” said Lendox. “I have never healed anyone who was attacked by a klodian before.”
“Why don’t we get some sleep?” Marina suggested. “They’ve arranged two rooms for us next door. I guess Shauna can stay with me, and Shelby