It's a Dead Man's World Ch. 04

{{ SHIT! }} they both thought, scrambling to get dressed. Pants and shirts were being put on haphazardly. The two of them had just managed to get most of their clothes on and in some semblance of order when the elevator door opened.

Standing on the other side of the door was an elderly couple that looked lost. They saw the two women in the elevator and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had probably been going on. But getting caught wasn't the worst of it. Eliza noticed that the couple didn't turn away, but rather started first at Veronica, then at Eliza, then back at Veronica. And Veronica was beat red! Eliza had never seen her girlfriend blush that badly before! Veronica began to stutter, then to speak.

"Mom?!? Dad?!?"

'Oh my . . .' Eliza thought to herself.

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Four days later . . .

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It had been an . . . awkward . . . few days for Eliza. She had finally met her girlfriend's parents, and she probably couldn't have made a worse first impression. When Abraham and Gloria Adams had heard the portal might be reopening soon, they decided to make the trip up, surprise Veronica (which apparently they did) and wait for their other daughter to come home. Veronica had been running damage control on Eliza's behalf, reminding her parents that Veronica was an adult and tended to do adult things.

Eliza was actually impressed that they were taking things as well as they did. Veronica had told them of her transformation shortly after returning from being kidnapped. She had minimized the part about being tortured of course. That was one of those things that parents probably didn't need to hear. Her parents had taken the news that their daughter was no longer human pretty hard, but she had eventually convinced them that she was the exact same person in a new-and-improved body. And within the last few days, Veronica had reminded her parents that Eliza had not only saved Veronica's life, but she had been instrumental in bringing about the end of the Purity and setting things up for their other daughter, Victoria, to come home. While Veronica's father reluctantly acknowledged that the woman who had been having sex with his daughter WASN'T completely evil, Gloria Adams decided that Eliza was a saint. So while Abraham stood around, smoking his pipe and acting grumpy, Gloria had spent the last several days doting over her daughter and the new woman in her life. Eventually, Eliza had even warranted an invitation to attend Christmas festivities that year.

{{ You should be impressed, }} Veronica had thought. {{ I've never had a girlfriend invited home for the holidays. }}

Eliza had been skeptical. {{ Then why does your father still look like he thinks that I'm going to start eating people? }}

{{ Actually, that's his 'cheerful' face. }}

{{ You're kidding? What does his 'angry' face look like? }}

{{ Pretty much the same, but with more yelling. }}

For the first twenty-four hours after Valar managed to get the portal reopened, only a few select World Council officials were allowed to go through, making sure the new portal was safe and establishing contact with the other side. Valar and Eliza had been correct in their assumption that the Purity hadn't been working alone. A purist group known as the Swords of Cleansing had been operating on the Terran side to keep the portal sealed and had probably been responsible for casting the t-port mine spells. Several Terran sorcerers had lost their lives to those mines because they couldn't be detected from the Terran side until it was too late.

Once the gateway was deemed safe, security was quickly established on BOTH sides of the gate that would deter even the most fanatic of separatists, which also meant that Eliza and her team could stand down. Within a day, huge crowds had arrived on both sides of the terminal, waiting for their chances to go home or to greet a returning loved one. Valar was the first Terran allowed to return home. He would inform the world leaders of Terra what had happened and had promised to return Ambassador Kelik's body to his home province. Eliza had become teary eyed when Kelik's stasis chamber was loaded onto a transport for his last ride home. Valar promised to send word to her when services would be held. The Ambassador had been a well-liked individual, and Eliza wasn't the only one crying a bit when his body crossed the threshold of the dimensional gate.

It took another day until both sides were ready to manage the flow of those who wanted to return home. Commercial and other private traffic would have to wait another week or so. But Veronica and her parents were waiting anxiously as group after group of humans came down the ramp to the enthusiastic greetings of family and friends.

Eliza found herself almost confused by these peoples' responses. She knew that if she were to walk across, there would be no one waiting for her. It was the nature of intelligent life to gossip, and she knew that her "dirty little secret" was probably already known back on Terra, leaked by the first group of Terrans trying to explain everything that had happened as quickly as possible. Being the daughter of a high-ranking official probably made things spread even faster. She found herself trembling, but from sadness or anger she couldn't quite tell. She had spent a great deal of time and energy at great personal expense to find a way back to a place she would never be welcome again. It just wasn't fair.

Veronica was torn between euphoria at her sister's upcoming return and sadness for her lover's mental state. Eliza had tried explaining her relationship with her father, but Veronica just couldn't believe that everything Eliza had done would be discounted out of hand simply because she was gay. Surely her father wasn't THAT heartless. She was getting ready to go talk to Eliza when she heard a voice from the ramp.

"Mom! Dad! Veronica!"

Veronica and her parents zoomed to the base of the ramp and surrounded their returning family member. Eliza couldn't even see the girl through the mass of hugs that was going on, and was beginning to feel even more out of place.

"Oxygen . . . in short supply . . . Please . . ." came a voice from the middle of the group. One by one, Veronica's family peeled themselves off the newcomer, and Eliza's jaw hit her chest. Standing right next to Veronica was . . . Veronica, or at least someone who looked just like her. She may have been wearing more Terran garb, which was a bit more risqué than anything Eliza ever would have tried to wear, but she was a dead ringer for Veronica.

'Twins?' Eliza thought. 'She never mentioned they were twins!'

"Eliza," Veronica said, obviously still giddy, "come over here and meet my little sister!"

Victoria Adams rolled her eyes. "Ten minutes! You're ten minutes older than I am, so cut the 'little sister' crap, okay?!?" Despite her protestations, she was obviously pleased to see her sister again.

"Language," her father scolded, earning him a half-hearted apology and a bat of those beautiful eyes. As gruff as he tried to be, his daughters had always had him wrapped around their little fingers.

As Eliza slowly wandered up, Veronica decided introductions were in order. "Vicky, this is my girlfriend Eliza. Eliza, this little brat is my sister Vicky." Vicky promptly punched her sister in the arm.

"Nice to meet you," Vicky said, offering her hand to Eliza. "Nice grip," she said, giving Eliza a lingering glance. "Nice find Veronica," she said. "Very nice," she added, perhaps a little too demurely.

"Okay, hands off," Veronica said. "Remember what I told you about hitting on my girlfriends?"

"The exact wording escapes me, but I tend to remember the threat of violence being involved. Still, I'm impressed. I never took you for dating outside the species, but she IS cute!" Yep, she and her sister were identical all right, and that included sexual preference.

Eliza actually blushed a bit, and she couldn't help but imagine what being with twins would be like. Veronica picked up on THAT particular thought process and shook her head, smiling all the while. {{ Not in a million years, }} she thought.

"You have really pretty eyes," Vicky said to Eliza. "I've never seen eyes like that before."

Veronica sighed and removed her sunglasses, causing Vicky to gasp with surprise. "Now you've seen two pairs. Vicky, Eliza isn't . . . actually a vampire anymore. To tell the truth, she isn't 'outside the species' for me either." Vicky was looking incredibly confused, glancing between her sister and Eliza. "We might want to head back to the hotel now," she said. "This explanation . . . well, it might take a while."

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'A while' later . . .

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Vicky and Veronica's parents had long since gone to bed while the two sisters and Eliza were still sitting at the hotel bar. Vicky was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her identical twin wasn't quite so "identical" anymore, and that her beloved sister had literally gone through hell in the last year.

"God . . . I mean . . . Shit, Veronica . . ."

Veronica gave her sister a whimsical grin. "It's okay," she said. "It's been hard for me to process sometimes too."

"I mean, I'd heard that there were a couple of chicks who dug chicks raising all sorts of hell on this side of the great divide, but . . . damn!" Vicky turned to Eliza. "You know, if you're the 'Eliza' I was hearing about while waiting for my turn to cross, then you're something of a fairytale legend or monster, depending on who you ask. I mean, people have been talking about the battle and Living Jewels and this psycho woman at the center of it all. I mean, there are some kids already who are saying you're ten feet tall and breathe fire."

Eliza looked flustered. "Great. This world is trying to pretend I didn't do anything, and my old world is already making me into a monster. I think I'm going to just retire and go live in a cabin somewhere."

"I didn't mean . . ." Vicky started.

Veronica just grasped her lover's hand. "Have you heard anything from . . . you know?"

"No. I wasn't much expecting to," Eliza answered. "He's . . . he's probably already been told. I'll bet he's doing 'damage control' as we speak."

Vicky looked confused again. "Who?"

"My father," Eliza said, getting up and heading outside, suddenly needing to clear her head.

"Sensitive subject," Veronica said, pulling out her purse so she could pay for their drinks. "Apparently her dad is a hotshot in the government for the entire Devlian continent. They had a big argument right before the portal closed and it's been weighing on her head ever since. But he doesn't know she's gay, or at least he didn't the last time she talked to him. And from the sounds of things, the guy is really big on tradition and honoring vampire culture."

Vicky nodded. She had been working as a cultural liaison on Terra for years before the gap closed, and getting any sexual action had been difficult do to the strong social stigma against same-sex coupling. The two sisters got up and followed Eliza outside, finding her sitting on the steps leading up to the hotel with her head in her hands. The two women sat down next to the white-haired Hybrid.

"So where on Devlia are you from? I spent a long time down there touring down there, doing music and art exchange shows," Vicky said.

"Gralta Province," Eliza said. "It's down south . . ."

"I've been there," Vicky replied. "About a year and a half ago. It's got some WONDERFUL hiking trails," she said excitedly. "I especially like the one that follows the Devlian River to the waterfalls."

That thought made Eliza smile. "My parents used to have a vacation cottage down near the river," she murmured. "I used to play down there all the time. I could sit and stare at the falls for hours. But my parents sold the place when my father became Security Director for the continent. They decided they just wouldn't have time to use it anymore."

Vicky's eyes had shot open (again). "Wait. Did you say 'Security Director'? Your father is Evlidone Msabdteelfinclor?"

"Is that how you pronounce your surname?" Veronica asked.

"Yes. It usually gives humans a headache to even TRY to say it." Eliza turned to Vicky. "Why do you ask?"

"I've MET your father," the woman said hurriedly. "We did a show with the court . . . I guess you could call it orchestra . . . for the Prime Minister's birthday. Very intense man." Vicky bit her bottom lip. "And I was kind of wondering why one of the most important political figures took on security of the Terran side of Point Terminal personally, and why he's been standing around on the other side of the gate for almost a week now. One of the guards said he hasn't eaten or slept in days and . . ."

Eliza was stunned. "That couldn't be him. There's no way they'd let him out of the Capital if there was even a CHANCE of there being revolutionaries about."

"It was him all right. Even if I hadn't met him before, everyone in the crowd was wondering what he was doing there."

Eliza wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore, but whatever it was seemed pretty intense. The streetlight overhead shattered and sparked under the pressure of Eliza's will and several nearby cars began to shudder.

Veronica held Eliza until she calmed down. "Sweetheart, this has gone on long enough. Go talk to him. Waiting and wondering isn't going to make things any easier. No one will stop you if you want to go through, so just go. Right now, before you have a chance to . . ."

Eliza wasn't even waiting for her lover to finish. Veronica had been right about one thing. The waiting was too much. The confrontation she had been dreading was just down the road, and she couldn't avoid it any longer. She took off at a brisk walk.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Veronica said to her sister. "I should be there for her," she added, taking off down the street.

When they got to the Point Terminal, there were still streams of people going each way. Eliza got in line, but Veronica had to keep her from chickening out on more than one occasion. Then they reached the portal. It was a shimmering circle of vibrant red that actually seemed to be humming when you stood close enough.

"Ready?" Veronica asked.

"No," Eliza said, staring straight ahead.

"Tough." Veronica grabbed her lover's hand and together they walked forward. The energy seeped around them like oil, but it didn't stick to their skin. It was much less noisy than the old portal had been. The Dragon's Breath apparently wielded a very powerful, stable type of magic.

They emerged on the other side within seconds. While the Earth side of the terminal was very angular and modern, the Terran side was a conglomeration of whimsy and curves. It looked like the wonderful city of Oz, but not quite as green. The Terran guards were standing on either side of the portal stared at Eliza for a moment, then some form of recognition dawned on them. There was a long ramp leading down to the center of a circular room. As the two Hybrids started down the ramp, the crowd at the bottom started to dissipate, all of them staring at the unique creatures that were approaching. They may not have looked much different than vampires but in that world of magic, people could sense something was amiss with these two.

{{ It's not too late to run screaming, }} Eliza sent.

{{ I'm not sure if that would make more of a scene than we are already making or less. }}

By the time they reached the foot of the ramp, there was about twenty feet of space between them and the nearest bystander. The murmur was almost deafening. The crowd directly across from them shifted like a living thing before slowly parting. There were only two beings left standing in that space. One of them was an elegant lady, standing six feet tall and carrying herself with a natural grace. The man standing next to her was actually an inch shorter, but authority and power crackled around him as if it too were alive. The woman looked like she was about to cry. The man looked like he was torn.

Despite the feelings about same-sex couples, Eliza kept her hand in Veronica's as they took the final step onto the polished stone floor. For a moment, there were only four people in that room that mattered. Then Veronica slowed until she was a step behind her lover, and the woman on the other side stood just behind her male counterpart. The man and Eliza had eyes locked onto each other.

"Hello father."

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To be continued . . .