by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Fifteen

Finding Amanda

Eight long months had passed since Sara had decided that Amanda had to be alive, then decided she wasn’t, then was again. Eight months of searching every place she could think of, even taking the time to learn how to scuba dive. That last effort had reluctantly proved useless to her, as the area she remembered dumping Amanda’s body at was well over three hundred meters deep. Much too deep for even a professional scuba diver. She’d even spent a long week alone in summers heat dragging the bottom, only to bring up almost a half-dozen anchors among other assorted garbage. Yet none of the anchors she discovered were one she could remember. Each and every lead had failed to answer Sara’s soul searing question. Was Amanda really somehow alive. Although she had what she felt was hard proof in her hands, there was no other evidence to support her belief. Even the photographer had been able to prove that the sitting had been done long before Amanda’s death.

Now Sara sat in a dorm room, a dorm room that should have been Amanda’s. Mr. and Mrs. Almertain, fearing that Sara was losing her mind had convinced the artist to take Amanda’s still open slot at North Western Technology. After all, NWT offered not only several very good science programs but a rather impressive arts program as well.

Yet... Sara looked again at the picture in her hands. Those rings hadn’t left her possession since the day they had been created. She paused in her thoughts suddenly. No wait, she had left then at the jewelers a few days before she’d picked them up. She had been forced too as her commission check had run late. Could Amanda have known? Could she have somehow slipped the information one night when she’d thought Amanda was sleeping? Yes, she remembered talking about it, while watching the ill girl breath in her sleep. What could that mean then, if she had arranged to borrow the ring a few hours? Had she somehow known, maybe through her mother, what Sara was up to? How Sara felt about her? For a few moments Sara’s emotions did a fairly good imitation of an avalanche. “I did slip up. I must have” she finally admitted to herself. Setting the photograph down she managed a wain smile. Amanda had known, and like always Amanda had done what was best for someone else. Amanda was dead then. She had dumped her best friends body at sea. Thrown away the body of the only person other than her family she had ever loved. Like a bag of garbage. “I will always love you” Sara whispered to the photograph, then laid back on her bed to cry.

Severial days later Sara lay in her bed again alone, her dark mood had forced her roommate to find somewhere else to stay while awake. At the moment she was apparently studying her rooms patched ceiling. Shadows slowly moved from morning to noon as she let her memories roam where they would. Finally she spoke again, talking not to herself but the picture beside her. “Looked for you in the student register when I got here” she admitted to the watching image. “No Almertain’s, dozens of Amanda’s though. Checked every one out. Not one even looked even a little you. Even two Karst’s. Ones a guy, the other one’s a second year who’s name is Lollypop. Get that Amanda. Someone named their kid Lollypop. Talk about mental anguish.” She giggled as if she’d heard Amanda’s voice answering her, for in her mind she did, though softly. “Yeah, I found out what her classes are. Maybe we’re related. The guy isn’t, he’s pure German. An exchange student. Anyway I’ve decided that today, with a bit of luck, I’m going to find out what a Lollypop Karst looks like.”

She seemed to listen again, a smile coming to her face. “Yeah, I like my classes. Doctor Harper’s kinda odd though. I don’t think he much likes black furs. At least he always looks at me like I was something the cat dragged in. But he’s fair and my grades are good. I’ll pay your parents back, I promise.” She groaned, rubbing her forehead. “Talking to myself again” Sara complained. “Gonna get me a rubber room with a long sleeved jacket if I keep this up.” She rolled off the bed, landing on her feet with practiced skill. Even though she was a student, she still had commissions to create. It gave her money for other things, like food better than the reprocessed recombined slop the university cafeteria called food. As she reached for her sketch pad Sara’s eyes swept across the little alarm clock on her table. “Time” she gasped, her hand instantly moving away from the waiting pad. “If I’m going to accidently bump into this Lollypop today I better leave now.” Grabbing her purse she made a bee-line to her door, pausing only long enough to make certain it locked this time. Then she hurried out.

Amanda was crossing the Commons as Sara burst from her dorm. Loaded down with books, the weight more than she could have lifted only half a year ago Amanda wasn’t much paying attention to those around her. It wasn’t that far to her next Saturday class, basically in introduction to the schools telescopes. Not that they’d let a Sophomore touch them, not without ten guards around her with brass knuckles ready for any mistake. Still the lab was on Saturday because her class would be allowed to use the equipment for a few hours after midnight, if the sky was clear. She smiled a little at the thought. Local weather stations were predicting overcast skies with only occasional breaks, which was why the scopes were available tonight. Marcus though had promised that the sky would be clear from Midnight to two am for a few hours viewing. Sometimes it helped to be on your teachers good side. Especially when that teacher was an other-world mage. As she walked along, her books acting like a plow splitting the crowd before her, she was intent on her thoughts, not any of the approaching students coming her way.

Sara abruptly stopped halfway across the commons. Something had stopped her in her tracks like a wall. It took a moment to understand what. She had caught a whiff of well known perfume. It had triggered memories, memories of Amanda. For a moment she was lost to those memories, then as easily slipped out of them. ‘Dwelling on the past can only insure insanity’ she warned herself. ‘And I’m already too close to that already.’ Taking two steps forward she stopped again, stunned. A figure was approaching her. An impossible figure. ‘Memory trick again’ she thought, blinking her eyes. Then reality struck, she’d never seen Amanda carry that much weight. Not on her best day. It couldn’t be her but she knew that walk, knew that tail. Stepping into the others path Sara reached out, grabbing the others sleeve. “Amanda?” she asked, almost afraid to give voice to her thoughts.

Of course it couldn’t be Amanda her logical mind explained. Just someone about her size and color who happened to like the same perfume. Happened to have a few manners like her. It wasn’t an expensive scent after all. Then the woman turned to face her and for Sara the world vanished.

“Lollypop” Amanda’s voice corrected automatically as she turned. Then she saw who had stopped her. “Hello Sara, long time. No sea. How are you?”

Amanda’s books clattered to the ground as Sara dragged her into her arms and for a moment she thought the larger woman was trying to crush her until it dawned on her that their lips were crushed together. She tried to push away, only to have Sara hug her all the harder. Finally turning her head Amanda broke the kiss, coughed, then managed to wheeze her surrender. “Okay, you win” she gasped as Sara loosened her hold. “Hi” she managed.

“Your dead” Sara stated. It wasn’t a question. She knew Amanda was dead, remembered every moment. Had lived the roller coaster built by that photograph for months. “I know your dead. But why are you standing here then?”

“Heaven didn’t want me and Hell thought I’d take over. So they sent me back here to take spirit lessons?” Amanda asked. “Look, I have a class I can not miss. Can you wait for me at my home until I’m through?”

“Why” Sara asked, her heart just beginning to beat again. “So you can run away again? Besides your parents think your dead. It’d be... oh Amanda I love... I thought you’d died. How?”

“Sara... My parents know I’m dead. This is.. I wasn’t prepared. I never thought...” Amanda stuttered to a stop, using the fact her books were strewn about to buy some time. “Help me pick these up please?” She knelt, gathering her things with Sara’s help until every item was back in her possession. “Sara, do you trust me?”

“With my life” the older woman answered.

“No flip remarks Sara. This is important. Do you trust me.”

Sara stepped back, studying her amazingly alive friend. “Amanda. You could hold a gun to my head, ready to pull the trigger and I’d trust you. Why?”

“I have a lab to attend. Its real important to my grade, so I need the evening. Its telescope time. Will you wait at my home? I’ll be there as soon as I can get there. Probably a little after two thirty in the morning. I promise you Sara that I’m not going to run away from you again.”

Sara took a breath, trust was one thing but this was impossible. Still it was Amanda. Sara knew she’d trust her soul to the younger woman if she asked it. “Okay. What’s the address” she agreed.

“No address, where’s your dorm? You are a student right?”

Sara pointed “Parkers, over there. Why?”

“We need to go to the bathroom. Trust me.”

“Okay”

A few minutes later they were standing in one of the dorms communal bathrooms. Sara remained silent, waiting with Amanda until they were finally alone. “I’m gonna be late” Amanda complained as she pulled a necklace from under her blouse. It was an odd design Sara thought, a dragon within a circle. She wanted to ask where it had come from but as she opened her mouth Amanda turned towards a wall. “Home.”

A beam of amber light sprang from the necklace, opening a window to somewhere else. Window, door... Something Sara tried to fathom as she fought to understand the impossibility. Her mind was a jumble, making it easy for Amanda when she put both hands on Sara’s back and pushed. Stumbling Sara fell through the amber glow. Tripping on something she fell to her knees in the dirt.

Soft earth met her knees and hands as she caught herself. Looking back in stunned amazement she saw Amanda standing on the other side, still in the bathroom. “Sorry, it only stays open a few seconds. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t upset Marcus” the younger woman yelled. Then she, and the strange doorway were gone.

“Don’t upset Marcus” Sara grumbled as she stood, brushing dirt from herself as she looked around. “I’m in the country” she realized. NWT was in the middle of a built up area, the only place one could call country was miles away. “Girls gone and gotten involved with space invaders” Sara told herself.

“Not... Exactly” a deep voice answered. A voice that shook the ground, sent waves of vibrations through the young woman’s body. Shocked again Sara turning towards the voice. A large tree trunk was in front of her. “Funny, don’t remember that”she admitted . “And a yellow tree?”

“Look up” the voice instructed.

Sara looked up. And up. And... “Oh Diana” Sara whimpered as she saw the dragons head. Easily twice as long as her own body its huge jaws gapped open. A tongue as long as her own body curled around teeth as long as her forearm. Long, pointy teeth she observed. “I really am insane. I’m in a rubber room ands all this is a dream. I’ve lost Amanda, I’ve lost my mind. Nothing is real”

“You are not insane, but you should not be here” the dragon observed. “What shall I do with you little mouse?”

Stepping back Sara brought up her fists. “You try anything lizard, I’m gonna knock your block off” she warned.

The dragon blinked, then brought its huge head down close to the shivering woman. “Tell you what” he offered. His voice so deep, so rumbling Sara felt it shake her entire body. “You take the first shot, then I’ll eat you. Deal?”

Sara whimpered. Madness. She was completely mad. Another thought raced through her head. ‘I’m sane and Amanda sent ne here to die, to hide the fact she was still alive.’ “Dammit Amanda” she whispered, unaware Marcus could hear her as easily as though she had yelled. ”All you had to do was ask. I love you.” Then she stepped forward, swinging her fist into the dragons scales as hard as she could.

Marcus felt the impact as a soft pressure. Remarkable he thought. In all her fear, in all the hopelessness of her situation she had still tried. “My turn” he whispered in a voice that sounded like dead leaves in Winter. Opening his jaws wide he made as if to swallow Sara, completely unsurprised when the black furred woman passed out.

Returning to his smaller size Marcus studied Sara. “I remember you brave woman” he admitted to the unconscious body. “Now how did you track my apprentice down hum?” Carefully he enveloped Sara’s mind with the same sleep spell he’d used on her so long ago. When he was certain she wouldn’t wake up he again assumed the male mouse form he used when speaking with Hanver. Gathering Sara’s limp body in his arms he walked back to the house. She’d be fine he decided, sleeping in Amanda’s bed.