Shared Skies (6 page)

Chapter Four

A series of loud raps on the door brought
Gaiah groggily to her feet in bright sunlight. Somehow, two minutes
of resting her eyes had become a whole night’s sleep, slumped
sideways against her pillow. She stretched and tried to work a
cramp out of her neck and shoulders as she went to open the
door.

Her grandmother’s face gave her an almost
physical jolt. Last night, in fact all of yesterday, had been so
strange she wouldn't have been surprised to find she’d hallucinated
most of it, especially the grandparent part. Kaley was brisk.
Wrapped in one of the hotel’s thick, white robes, she kissed Gaiah.
“It’s eight thirty, see you in the breakfast room as soon as we’re
all showered.” She disappeared back through the open door of her
bedroom, her hair, in a thick plait, reached to her waist.

Gaiah's brain was in
overdrive.
It is them. How can it be?
Where were they? What am I going to say? What are they going to
say?
She found it hard to think at all
with so many questions were bouncing around in her head. A shower
cap was all she took from the shelf full of scented lotions and
products. Urgency was vying with nerves as she rushed her shower.
She pulled her crumpled clothes out of her bag. Yet again, she was
sorry at the fit of pique that had made her throw such an odd
assortment into her bag. She picked out the best; jeans and a
midnight blue t-shirt. There was no need to hide her hair now, so
she pulled it back into a loose pony tail.

The mirror showed her someone she had never
seen before. Apart from the still slightly red eyes, there was a
tall, slim, young woman with a great figure and fabulous hair! She
had never allowed herself to stand so tall and she’d never worn
this t-shirt without a baggy sweatshirt, but most of all it was the
expression that was different. The anxious, insecure look and the
scowl that said leave me alone, were gone and her wide mouth was
almost smiling instead of being compressed into a thin line.

She shook her head at her
reflection.
Weird; this time a few days
ago I was fighting off bullies in school, now I’m in Scotland and
my grandparents are actually waiting downstairs for me.
The thought threatened to turn her legs to water
so she left the room before she lost her nerve.

Following the inviting
smell of sausages and coffee downstairs, she was torn between
excitement and mounting indignation at their treatment of
her.
God, am I ready for this?

The bright, airy breakfast
room over-looked the Scott monument and the Princess Street
Gardens. Her grandparents, spotlit by the sun were sitting at a
table by the window. Overcome by nerves, she delayed her approach
to them, stopping at the heavily laden buffet table. She paused to
heap her plate with yellow, creamy eggs, bacon and toast and asked
for a pot of coffee to be brought to the table. Her palms were
clammy and her breathing fast as she approached them.
Last night they had the advantage, I was so tired
and bewildered that the mere sight of them reduced
me to a blubbering wreck. No way am I going to
let that happen today. Today, I’m going to get answers.

She pulled out a chair next to her
grandmother, amused to see that their plates were piled as high as
hers–obviously a healthy appetite ran in the family. She looked at
those two familiar faces and took a breath. “Where the hell were
you for the last ten years?” The angry words burst unbidden out of
her mouth.

They both looked at her calmly. “Later
Gaiah, later,” replied Alasdair. “Honestly, we need hours of peace
and privacy to talk, this is not the place.”

His words were immediately borne out by the
friendly waitress, who came to serve Gaiah’s coffee and stayed to
quiz them on their thoughts on Edinburgh. Gaiah knew he was right;
this was not the place, and there would be time soon enough.

While they ate, Kaley laid out their plans.
“First, some shopping. I could see that you don’t have half enough
clothes with you. And then we’ll have a few uninterrupted hours in
the car for explanations while we drive to Inverness.”

An hour later they were checked out of the
hotel and shopping in the Princes Mall. Gaiah felt like the winning
contestant on some TV show. Kaley encouraged Gaiah to splurge, and
insisted on proffering her own platinum credit card. Gaiah couldn't
keep a grin from her face as she walked around the shops. It was so
wonderful, no matter what, to be out like this, shopping with her
grandmother. It was unbelievable, something, she had never thought
could happen.

Gaiah put her bags down to try on a red
P.V.C. rain parker and twirled in front of a mirror. She threw a
comment over her shoulder at Kaley, “What do you think?”

From behind her came an immediate answer. “I
think it really suits you, but I can tell by your coloring that
this Scottish weather won’t. I hope you’re not thinking of
staying?”

Frowning, Gaiah whirled
around. A tall, bulky guy, leaning against a pillar was
scrutinizing her. She was at a complete loss as to what to say. Did
she know him? His face, from what little of it she could see behind
the swathe of his scarf, looked sallow and serious. To her
annoyance, her face flushed, as emerald eyes met hers. Kaley called
her from two aisles away, and when she turned back he was
gone.
Weirdo!
She
put it to the back of her mind as she was swept off next for
shoes–heels and flats–and boots–both sturdy and dressy–until
finally Kaley was satisfied that Gaiah would survive in the wilds
of Craigphadraig for a while.

Alasdair met them and helped bring their
shopping to the car. Kaley slipped into the back seat next to
Gaiah. The car turned into Broughton Street. Gaiah shuddered as she
remembered last night and the glassy eyes of the taxi driver when
he drove her into the oncoming traffic. She whispered, “That driver
almost killed us both just here.”

Kaley nodded. “We know. Our hearts were in
our mouths the whole time you were travelling up and we’re so
grateful that you got safely through to us.”

Hearts in their mouths?
Jeez, it was only a trip from London, though given all that
happened, they weren’t wrong.
They were
turning onto the M90. The signpost caught her attention: ‘Inverness
158 miles’.
Okay, this is it.
She leaned forward and said forcefully,
“
Now
, let’s talk.
You owe me a darn good explanation.”

Alasdair turned his head slightly and
glanced back at Kaley. His gaze returned to the road but the
crinkles at the side of his eyes betrayed a small smile as he said,
“I’m sure a Ford Focus is not the best setting for such mighty
revelations, but I don’t think you’re going to sit happily talking
about the weather while we spend three hours driving home. So, here
goes.”

Kaley held her hand out and Gaiah took it.
The long fingers were soft and cool in her hand.

Alasdair took a deep breath and squared
himself in the driver seat. “First of all, you have to know that we
love you dearly, we always have, and second, that we never deserted
you, we had to stay away to keep you safe.”

Gaiah spluttered. “Keep me
safe? If you knew how
awful
it was, how it tore me apart…all those
years...”

“
Yes, safe. Away from us.
We couldn't be seen to have any interest in you at all. You see
Gaiah, we’re not really like other people. In fact, we’re not like
them at all.” Kaley twisted in her seat to watch Gaiah’s face
better. Alasdair continued, “There’s no easy way to say this so
I’ll just start. You’ve heard of dimensions, right?”

Gaiah nodded.

“
Well, you know the basic
three dimensions, length, width and height. These are called the
physical dimensions. And there’s also time, that is considered a
dimension too.”

What on Earth has this got
to do with anything?
Gaiah looked at Kaley
to see if she was in on some joke but her grandmother had no humour
in her eyes as she looked steadily back at Gaiah. Alasdair was
still talking, “Scientists on Earth have been talking about
parallel universes for decades.”

His hand sketched shapes in the air.
“Universes that occupy the same space but in different dimensions;
unknown dimensions.”

Gaiah frowned.
What the hell’s he talking about? Where’s he
going with this?

“
They are working to prove
the existence of at least one parallel universe. There are, in
fact, three.” Alasdair spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, but
his eyes kept finding Gaiah’s in the rear view mirror. Kaley gently
squeezed Gaiah’s hand.

“
That’s where we come in,
that’s where we are from. One of those worlds is called Gaiana,”
she said softly, “The other is Or'ka. Together, with this world,
they're called the Trinity.”

Gaiana? Gaiah? Okay, if this weren’t so
freaky, at least it would be some explanation for my name!

There was a pause as if
they expected a response. Gaiah said nothing.
What the hell do they expect me to say? This is ridiculous.
It’s just plain madness. No-one’s from another dimension, least of
all me. They’ve got to be joking.

She didn't know quite what
she had been expecting–some family emergency that lasted for ten
years in a remote part of the world and abject apologies perhaps.
Something. Anything. But not this unintelligible waffle. She
dropped Kaley's hand, sat back and folded her arms.
Oh God, they’re completely crazy. What am I going
to do?

She slid her hand around
the door handle.
We’re not going that
fast, what’s the worst that could happen if I jumped out?
The roar of a haulage truck and its blur of gaudy
colours as it thundered past made her release her hold, shocked at
what she’d been contemplating. She rubbed at the goose bumps
puckering the skin on her arms.

Alasdair was still
talking. Gaiah’s stomach churned and her head swam with the effort
of trying to fathom what on Earth was going on. She registered what
he was saying and it was just too much. She interrupted, her voice
scathing, “Oh, please! This is mad. Are you trying to tell me we’re
aliens or something? You've both been very nice to me and
everything and I don’t want to be mean but this sounds like
madness! And to be honest…Or’kans? Come on, we’ve all seen
Lord of the Rings
.”

Kaley smiled, and Alasdair said, “Yes, that
was amusing, but of course, Tolkien was a poet, philosopher and
above all, an expert in the field of mythology. In fact he’s quoted
as saying that ‘mythology is a divine echo of fundamental truths.’
He was absolutely right. So making Orcs as his evil beings was
merely a reflection of how close he was to the truth, as Or’kans
have had a malevolent influence on Earth for millennia.”

Tears blurred her
vision.
Okay, now this is freaky. What’s
going on? What are they doing?
“I don’t
understand. What is the point of all this?” Her voice was tight
with disappointment and anger. “It’s not funny.”

Kaley’s hand took Gaiah’s again. “No,
Darling, it’s not. Look at me, Gaiah, look right at me.”

Gaiah turned her head and met her
grandmother’s eyes. Kaley spoke softly and slowly. “You are from
Gaiana, the third world of the Trinity. It’s not funny, but it is
true.”

Gaiah couldn’t doubt the sincerity and
honesty in her grandmother’s face. She inhaled deeply to calm her
growing panic. “Are you really trying to tell me that
we’re…aliens?” She hesitated over such a ridiculous question.

“
Nothing so
X-Files
!” answered
Alasdair and he continued, “We are beings of energy and form–when
we shift Earthways we become a more solid form of ourselves, it’s
not sustainable for long without great effort. Earth is our
lodestone-”

“
Our what?

“
Lodestone, it means
something with a very strong magnetic connection that attracts
things to it. This magnetic connection between our worlds is what
Earth people see and they call it aurora borealis and aurora
australis.”

“
I remember watching those
lights.”

“
Yes.” Kaley took over, in
a smooth, lecturing voice, a slight smile on her face. “You saw
those lights often during your time in Scotland. Caused by magnetic
energy and sun's radiation. Amazing isn't it? You know, these
lights have been part of our shared history since the worlds began.
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle called them ‘holes in the
sky’. The Cree Indians called them the Dance of the Spirit, partly,
I assume because they saw some of us shifting Earthways through
them.”

This is lunacy.
Gaiah looked at Kaley through narrowed eyes. Yet
she queried, “Shift Earthways?”

“
Yes, our magnetic force
interacts with that of Earth, allowing us to shift
Earthways.”

Gaiah just nodded. Kaley
leaned forward and gently rested the palm of her hand on Gaiah’s
cheek. “I know,” she said softly, "It all sounds insane, but it’s
the truth. Feel it in your heart, Gaiah. Rely on your Gaianan
instinct, we all do. It has always led us to the truth. Your
rational Earth brain is fighting it, but see how you
feel
.”

Gaiah sat in silence,
there was really nothing she could say. Crazily,
Kaley was right
. Gaiah
viscerally felt the truth of what they had been saying and it was
shocking and scary. It would explain so much.
This is a surreal, ridiculous conversation to be having, but
yet…I knew it. I am not normal. I don’t fit in properly–I never
did.
“So, really, are you saying I'm
different to everyone else too?” Gaiah couldn't help a slightly
hopeful tone.