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.The boy had long white hair, pink eyes, and wore a tunic and pants.All of which had seen better days.“Have trouble with the lock?”“Yeah.”“I did too.Apparently, Mr.Monotone forgets to tell people that these locks work in the opposite fashion of normal ones.” Eric was about to ask how normal ones worked, but the guy kept rambling.“Oh, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself.I am Aio Ricse, formerly of Latrot.” He spat on his hand and held it out.“Pleased to meet you, Roomy!” Eric stared at the spit soaked hand.When in Rome.He spat on his own hand.“Eric Watley.uhh formerly of Earth.” They shook hands.“The pleasure's all mine.”“Here, it's called ‘Threa,’” Aio said.“Scholars decided upon that name for your world ever since they discovered Noitaerc.”Eric backed up and put a hand to his aching forehead.Threa? Noitaerc? The last confusing straw on a very large pile of confusing straws.“I suppose it is a lot to take in for two days.Take a rest.” The buzzing in Eric's mind was too great for him to wonder how Aio knew he'd arrived yesterday.“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” A voice shouted.Eric sleepily swatted at the shaker.“Go away.sleep,” he said and curled back under his blanket.The blanket was yanked away and he shivered.He opened his eyes to see Aio's smiling face.“Good morning!”Eric rubbed his eyes.“What time is it?”“Oh, about 6.”“SIX IN THE MORNING?!”Aio rang his ears out.“Yeah, six in the morning.” Eric slumped back into bed, but sleep evaded him without a blanket.“Why.you wake me.early?”“To see the sunrise, of course.”“Don't.wanna see sunrise,” Eric mumbled and curled into a ball.“Oh, come on.”Aio pulled him out of bed by his ankles and dragged him across the floor.Eric resigned himself to his fate and let himself be dragged.Outside, he was dropped on a rock formation.He screamed when he was doused with cold water.“Wakey! Wakey!” Aio cheered as he put down his bucket.“You're missing one of nature's most beautiful wonders!” Eric was most definitely awake now and most definitely cold and wet.Aio plopped down on his own rock and said, “Did you like living in your home world?”“Yes of.” His response was automatic, not true.Even before Tasio showed up, his life was awful.His family was non-existent.He didn't make ends meet.He was picked on at work.His neighbor was the guy-who-wouldn't-go-away.“No.”“Ohh.That's too bad.” Aio said sadly.He perked up instantly.“But you can make a new life here.A better life! Just like me!”“Oh yeah.You said you were 'Formerly of Latrot.' What happened?”“Oh, you know, stuff happens.” Aio shrugged.“Had to leave or more stuff would happen.”“Any family?”“Oh, yeah.I got family all over the place, but we don't really get along; sibling rivalry, ya know?”Eric would have questioned further, but the sun was rising and it was indeed beautiful.It almost made him forget he was cold and wet.“All right, now let's get you into some dry clothes,” Aio said.“You should know better than to sit in wet ones.”You're the one who got me wet.Dripping back to the room, Eric dried off and looked for new clothes.He found an earth-brown tunic and dark pants, and changed into them.Aio tossed his soaking wet business suit into a dark corner and left it there.“That's better, isn't it?” Aio asked.“Yeah.” Eric said.He suddenly felt lighter.“Yeah! A lot better.”“Good! Let's go eat.”At the cafeteria entrance, Aio inserted his bronze crystal into a brown cube on the greeter's desk.The crystal glowed slightly and the guy waved Aio in.Eric recognized some items on the line: lettuce, strawberries, and some kind of pasta.Other things he had no idea what they were; like a meaty-looking thing with a green band around the middle and yellow zigzag.As he reached for it, its middle opened and the yellow zigzag teeth snapped down on his fingers.He yelped.Aio laughed and rapped the thing's top.It let go and fell on Aio's tray.“Roomy, a little advice,” Aio said.“Don't eat anything that looks like teeth.”“Then why are you eating it?”“It tastes good if know how to deal with it.”The pair sat down and Eric eagerly dug in.Once again, he was amazed at the food's incredible taste.Just like the berries and water from the forest, it was like eating energy itself.He felt good enough to run up ten flights of stairs and back again.“Never tasted food like that, have you?” Aio asked.“That's mana-rich food.”For the second time Eric asked, “Isn't mana the same stuff that makes monsters?”“Yep! Mana is the source of all life.”“There you are,” a sleepy voice drawled.Aio turned and pointed.“Oh, look! It's Mr.Monotone!” The dorm keeper became slightly annoyed.“Mr.Watley, you have an appointment at the Heleti General Hospital.”“That doesn't sound like a good idea, Roomy,” Aio said cautiously.“Why not?”Aio pulled Eric close and whispered in his ear, “What if.” he began, sneaking glances at the dorm keeper as if he were eavesdropping.“What if.it's a ruse?”“A ruse?” Eric asked.“Yes!” Aio said urgently, “To turn you into an emotionless zombie like him!!”The dorm keeper became a little more annoyed, even mildly disgruntled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]