Table Of Contents | |||||
Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 | Book 5 | Book 6 |
#SciFi #ScienceFiction #Futuristic #SpeculativeFiction #MindBending #Interdimensional #Otherworldly #PortalFiction #CosmicEncounter #ParallelRealities#GirlPower #YoungHeroes #UnexpectedHeroes #Teamwork #BraveGirls #EldritchHorror #UnknownEntity #BeyondTheVeil #DimensionalRift #AlienMystery#SciFiAdventure #RealityWarp #ExtraDimensional #StrangePhenomena #SupernaturalSciFi
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Roxanaâs bedroom is a sanctuary of soft colors and sacred symbols, the walls adorned with framed portraits of her heroesâMother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, and a small icon of the Virgin Mary glowing faintly under a string of fairy lights.
The air carries the faint scent of lavender from a candle on her desk.
Itâs Tuesday night, and Roxana sits cross-legged on her bed, the Aladdinâs lamp perfume bottle resting beside her, its glass catching the light.
Helanaâs presence hums gently in her mind, a comforting constant. âYou have a lovely room, Roxana,â Helana says, her voice warm.
âIt feels peaceful.
You must be very comfortable here.â Roxana smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
âI like it.
I got my own room when I was eleven, and since I turned thirteen, I can keep the door closed so Mom and Dad arenât always peeking in.â âItâs nice to have your own space,â Helana says.
âThatâs hard in my world.
Being telepathic, my parents can slip into my mind whenever they want.
I can block them a bit, but then they get suspicious.
Iâm a little jealous of how things work here.â Roxana laughs, her beads clicking softly in her pocket.
âIf youâre not up to mischief, it shouldnât be a problem.â âWhatâs childhood without a little mischief?â Helana quips, and they both chuckle, the sound easing the quiet of the room. Roxanaâs expression softens, her voice careful.
âHelana, I really like you, and I see how youâve bonded with Ella.
Itâs clear you love each other.
Having a friend from another dimension is⊠pretty cool.â âEllaâs a beautiful girl, a beautiful spirit,â Helana says, her tone tender.
âI love her more than words can describe.â Roxana nods, choosing her words with care.
âI love her too, more than words can say.
But thereâs a difference between us.
Iâm only thirteen, but I know a bit about how life works.
You donât just love Ellaâyouâre *in love* with her.
Do you understand what that means?â Helana pauses, her presence flickering.
âI know what it meansâa desire to bond, to blend, to become one, like a marriage.
I donât feel that way, at least not exactly.
To be honest, Iâm not sure what I feel.
Your worldâs emotions are intense, overwhelming for a visitor like me.
Even your pets and farm animals radiate feelings stronger than anything in my dimension.â Roxana feels a pang of sympathy but holds firm.
âI need you to promise me, with all your heart, that youâll never harm the ones you love.
You say you love all three of usâElla, Eileen, and me.
Prove it.â Helanaâs voice trembles, as if tears could form in her intangible state.
âI promise, Roxana.
Iâd never harm you.
I love you three with an intensity beyond words.â Roxana senses the sincerity, her own eyes stinging.
âGood.
Iâll hold you to that.
But if you ever hurt Ella, Iâll do everything in my power to bring the wrath of God down on you.â Helana laughs, a bright, chiming sound.
âIâm less scared of Godâs wrath than yours! I swear, if anyone or anything harms you girls, it wonât be meâand Iâll unleash my own wrath on them.â Roxana exhales, a weight lifting.
âOkay, weâre on the same page.
Now, Iâve got a million questions.
Ready?â âFire away!â Helana says, her tone eager. âFirst, how do you speak perfect English? Did you study it in your school?â âI donât speak English at all,â Helana explains.
âThatâs why manifesting physically here would be hardâI couldnât speak your language.
With telepathy, I send thoughts, not words.
Your brain translates them into English automatically.
In Japan, theyâd hear Japanese; in Korea, Korean; in Germany, German.
Eventually, youâll stop hearing words and just *know* my thoughts.â âSo youâre deep in my mind when you talk,â Roxana says, unease creeping in.
âIâm not comfortable with that.â âI only touch the part of your mind thatâs open to me,â Helana assures her.
âYou can block me by not wanting to talk.
Itâs your choice.â âWhat about those goth girls you scared off?â Roxana asks.
âHowâd you do that?â âThey were attacking someone I love,â Helana says, her voice firm.
âI was more aggressive with them, projecting fear.
Like Ella said, I can be fierce when I need to be.
But Iâd never do that to you girls.â âSo telepathy can be a weapon,â Roxana says, her brow furrowing.
âThatâs dangerous, isnât it?â âNo more dangerous than any weapon,â Helana replies.
âWords, spoken or written, have destroyed people and nations here.
The question is disciplineâusing any power wisely.
Telepathyâs no different.â âMy dad says something like that,â Roxana says, staring at the floor.
ââOnce a bad word leaves your mouth, you canât stuff it back in.ââ âExactly,â Helana agrees. Roxanaâs gaze drifts to the portraits on her wall, her voice softening.
âI wish our world had more disciplineâwith words, guns, bombs, everything.
People use anything as a weapon.
Weâre privilegedâour parents have good jobs, nice houses, fancy cars, plenty of food.
We get braces for perfect teeth.
But thatâs not the world for most.
Kids starve, bombs kill, people flee violence.
Even here, in a safe country, kids get beaten or shot just going to school.
I pray about it every day.
I cry about it every night.â âIs that why you want a life of service through your faith?â Helana asks gently. âI guess,â Roxana says, her eyes lingering on Mother Teresaâs portrait.
âItâs not just what I wantâitâs who I am.
My heroes lived for others.
Thatâs my path.â âI love you, Roxana, and I respect you deeply,â Helana says, her voice full of admiration.
âYour commitment to service is inspiring.
But a word of advice, from someone whoâs glimpsed your future: to nurture others, you must first nurture yourself.
Denying yourself joyâdating, love, maybe a familyâcould starve you emotionally and physically.
Youâd have less to give.â Roxanaâs breath catches.
âYou saw a future where I was⊠ineffective because I was starved?â âI saw several futures,â Helana says.
âI mentioned celibacy because it was on your mind then.
But a more likely path showed you with privilege, love, a husband, children.
Yet you were crushed by guilt for enjoying life, which dimmed your impact.
Now that Iâm here, you get a redo.
Embrace joy, whatever path you choose, and youâll have more to share with those in need.â Roxanaâs heart races, her voice rising.
âThat was my future? My *most likely* future? Thatâs not what you said before!â She pauses, her chest tight.
âIâm⊠upset.
I donât think thatâs possible.
Dating? Marriage? Kids? I donât even have clothes for a date.
Iâm going to be sick!â âIâm so sorry,â Helana says, her voice anguished.
âI didnât meanââ âBe quiet, Helana,â Roxana snaps, her hands trembling.
âGo into your lamp and stay there.
Donât read my mind.
I need to process this.
Iâll tell you when you can come out.â --- Hours later, Ellaâs phone buzzes, pulling her from a restless sleep.
Itâs midnight, and her mom stands in the doorway, holding out the phone with a worried frown.
âRoxanaâs having some kind of meltdown.
Talk to her.â Ella grabs the phone, her voice groggy but urgent.
âRoxana? Whatâs going on? Are you okay?â âItâs your stupid friend, Helana!â Roxanaâs voice cracks, thick with tears. âDid she hurt you?â Ella asks, sitting up, her heart pounding. âNo, she didnât hurt me,â Roxana says.
âBut sheâs saying all this stuff about my future, and I donât know if sheâs telling the truth or just messing with me.
I had everything figured outâmy whole life planned.
Now itâs all messed up, and Iâm messed up.â âOh my gosh,â Ella says, softening.
âWhat did she say to trigger this panic attack? Is someone dying? Is the world ending?â âShe says I wonât be a nun,â Roxana sobs.
âThat Iâll date, get married, have kids.
Iâve never even thought about that.
Itâs never crossed my mind.
I donât know where to start.â âOh, Roxana, sweetie,â Ella says, her voice warm.
âThatâs not bad news.
Iâve always dreamed of our kids growing up together, like we did.
Datingâs scary, especially if youâve never considered it, but we canât date for, like, three years anyway.
Youâve got time to figure it out.
And Helanaâs not the boss of your futureâshe messed up the timelines by coming here.
You can still be a nun if thatâs your path.
But Iâm excited to meet your kids someday.
Youâre just scared of a future you canât control.
None of us can, no matter how hard we try.â âSo I have to find a boyfriend now?â Roxana asks, her voice small. âNo way!â Ella laughs.
âYou donât need to do anything.
Just be the best you.
The right person will find youâmy mom says that.
Heck, you might not even be into guys.
Maybe youâll marry a girl.â âIâve thought about it enough to know Iâm straight,â Roxana says, her tone steadier.
âBut I always pushed those thoughts away.
Now theyâre taking root, and Iâm scared Iâll end up boy-crazy like Eileen.â Ella chuckles.
âNo chance of that.
Itâs not your style.
When the right guy comes along, just go with it.
Let your future happen.
But not too soonâweâll date when weâre ready, and I get to approve him first.
Sweet dreams, Roxana.
No need to panic.
Tell Helana goodnight for me.â
---
At 2 a.m., Ella, exhausted but wired, opens her diary, the weight of the night pressing on her.
She had a major panic attack because Helana said she might date, get married, have kids.
She was freaking out. It makes sense, though.
Dating and marriage are scary to think about.
What if I like a boy and he doesnât like me? What if he cheats? What if I get divorced or he hurts me? That stuff happens a lot.
Iâve thought about it for years, but Roxana, planning to be a nun, never didâuntil it all hit her at once.
Iâd probably freak out too. No way Iâm making it to first period tomorrow.
Goodnight, dear Diary.
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