Legend of the Faey E-Book

Bella J. Mars

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 387

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Aurora is young and beautiful, heir to the throne of Aetheria. On Earth, Aurora's attention is captured by the handsome professor, Caolun. A chance lone meeting sparks passion, but something deeper develops when Aurora and Caolun discover a powerful connection – an eternal bond. Linked by this bond, both must embrace their duties as protectors of the people of Aetheria. The Faey, revered and mystical, hold power on Aetheria, power coveted by the wicked General Asantares, ruler of the iniquitous dimension, Onyx. Aurora, as the holder of a burgeoning power to create dimensions, is prey to the malevolent machinations of the general. And Aurora has a secret, a secret even she is not aware of. Love, passion, friendship, duty, all must come into play when the fate of Aetheria is in the balance.

Leseprobe

Imprint

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ISBN print edition: 978-3-99130-749-5

ISBN e-book: 978-3-99130-750-1

Editor: Charlotte Middleton

Cover design, layout & typesetting: novum publishing

www.novum-publishing.co.uk

Prologue

Friday. Friday at last. After an endlessly long week and an extremely and persistently annoying Betty, the very thought of two carefree days instantly lifted my mood. I was looking forward to the coming weekend, as I could not wait to step through the portal into my dimension and let myself be swept away by all that awaited me. Our solar system consists of many dimensions and subdimensions, with Earth being one of the subdimensions. Earth was also destined to be our home for the upcoming four years while we attended school on Earth. We travel between dimensions through portals, and only Aetherians, Dimensioners, and Half-dimensioners know about the existence of other dimensions and portals. The only ones that are completely oblivious and know nothing of our existence are the inhabitants of Earth, or Earthlings. If an Earthling were married to a Dimensioner or Half-dimensioner from a subdimension other than Earth, they would of course be told the truth. Occasionally, though, some Earthlings, who are more sensitive to changes in energy around them, would sense our presence or sense portals being opened close by. They of course do not understand what the energy changes around them mean; they just feel them. We are always incredibly amused by the various theories about aliens and conspiracy theories, which in very rare cases are almost close to the truth.

The Solar Council considered revealing the truth to Earthlings and lifting the barrier to show them the real solar system, but each time the discussion has been brought up, the very unanimous decision to keep the secret has been made. The main reason for keeping Earthlings in the dark is the nature of Earth’s inhabitants. If the truth about the other dimensions were to be revealed to the Earthlings, the Council is convinced that riots and conflicts would break out, which likely would mean the end of life on earth. The probability of Earthlings going to war for supremacy and control is just too high, especially since they have managed to develop primitive weapons. Some of them are called nuclear weapons. That would only mean the end for them, while they would have absolutely no effect on us. If they only knew how lucky they are to be in this subdimension. The entire solar system has always been mesmerised by Earth and has admired its natural resources, not to mention that it is also breathtakingly beautiful. That was one of the reasons why the dimension I created was similar to Earth in many ways.

And who am I? My name, my real name, is Aurora Anastasia Sternberger Gea, and my parents sit on the throne of our solar system, with the sun being its centre. Considering that my parents are the rulers of the solar system, I had a rather peaceful childhood. I spent most of it on Aetheria with my best friend, Cassie, short for Cassiopeia Estelle Lunaris. Since Earthlings are not aware of the dimensions in the solar system, they do not know the real size or shape of it. The real shape is an intertwined web of dimensions in addition to stars, all the planets, asteroids, comets, and other elements known to Earthlings. It is a beautiful creation, expanding in all directions with countless interesting places and inhabitants as well as many dark and dangerous places. Dimensions could be described as what Earthlings call larger planets, with some subdimensions being smaller planets or even stars.

Our parents decided to send us to school on Earth instead of our Star Academy on Aetheria. They wanted us to experience life on Earth and get familiar with their habits. Due to Earth being one of our core subdimensions, which also needed to be protected the most, it was crucial for us get to know it. Earth is one of key elements that holds our solar system in balance due to its unique position. Its axis is perfectly aligned with dimension crossings. If Earth were to be destroyed or its position slightly moved, it could cause an imbalance in gravity, and our solar system could implode. Our parents were also convinced that spending time on Earth would help prepare us for our future roles. I always suspected that it was Mother Faey who suggested this to our parents. It was completely illogical to me and Cassie, why one of our core subdimensions didn’t know other dimensions even existed. Our parents always said that this was the way it was and that the time would come when we would understand why. And so it was that I, a heir to the throne, and Cassie, my right-hand and Aetheria’s future representative in the subdimensions, landed in boarding school in a wonderful city on the southeast coast of Ireland. We were almost eighteen when we started school and will stay here until we come of age. I will celebrate my twenty-first birthday on the last day of school on Earth. On Aetheria, we become of age at twenty-one.

The boarding school is, of course, no ordinary boarding school, as all students are either Half-dimensioners or Dimensioners. Dimensioners attending our school are the children of diplomats from different dimensions in our solar system who are stationed on Earth, while Half-dimensioners attending this school are children of Dimensioners and Earthlings. There are no Aetherians in our school, so our true identities are safe. Aetherians all attended the Star Academy on Aetheria, and no one would even think to go to any other school. The main difference between Dimensioners and Half-dimensioners is that Half-dimensioners cannot travel to Aetheria without the highest diplomatic invitation. They can visit some other dimensions and subdimensions and travel through portals though. Access to Aetheria is limited even to other Dimensioners, and they would also need an invitation. What also makes us different to Earthlings is that each one of us has special powers that we will develop and fine-tune over the next four years. Certain powers only develop when we turn twenty-one, and many families experience a great surprise, or a great disappointment.

In my four years on Earth, I have developed quite a few special powers myself. It is fair to say that my quiet life was completely turned upside down after I came to Earth and not only by my newly acquired skills. I have experienced the most terrifying things and passions that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.

Chapter 1

About our families

Our parents decided that we would use different names while on Earth for two reasons. One reason was our safety, and the other one was to give us the chance to experience life outside Aetheria without the burden of our titles and lineage. So we became Aurora Starling and Cassie Monder from Antares subdimension. My mother, an otherwise fearless ruler of the solar system, lost her gift of speech and all colour at the very thought of our near-abduction. A few years ago, some rebels from Onyx Dimension managed to sneak through our defensive shield and penetrate our city. Onyx is a rebel dimension ruled by the very cruel and ruthless General Asantares and populated by brutal outcasts and escaped convicts. One day, Cassie and I sneaked out of the castle and were on our way to visit the horses in our stables when we were suddenly surrounded by Onyx rebels. I will never forget the mortal fear and the incredible stench emanating from them. We both knew very well that we should not leave the castle parameters on our own, but the stupidity of two thirteen-year-old teenage girls is not to be underestimated, especially that of two teenagers who were very talented at ending up in situations many interdimensional explorers would envy.

The reason why we sneaked out was because we wanted to see my new horse, a gorgeous black stallion that, despite my mother’s protests, my father had given me for my thirteenth birthday. Inherited from my father, riding has always been one of my greatest passions. To our immense luck, on that very day, an unexpected visit from the Solar Gard took place. When we were just about to end up in the hands of the rebels, a young general, who was very interested in our horses, saw the attack by pure coincidence and managed to rescue us from the hands of our captors. We escaped unhurt, while the young general will always be reminded of our rescue by the scar on his left thigh, a scar that was inflicted by a knife, the shape of which I will never forget.

My mother is the only living descendant of the Phoebus dynasty, which is also one of the oldest ones, next to the Helios dynasty. Helios is the dynasty that created the sun, and Phoebus created the first portals and dimensions, including Aetheria, which soon became our central dimension. The Phoebus and Helios dynasties originally descended from the two separate Faey dynasties, which were also original dynasties. The Faey dynasties merged after the Helios and Phoebus bloodlines were created, and Mother Faey was the first descendant of those two merged Faey dynasties. It was the merging of the two lines that made Mother Faey so powerful, invincible as well as eternal. No one really knows how old Mother Faey is, and no one would even dare to ask her. The Helios dynasty tragically disappeared after the last surviving descendant was killed with his wife and infant son in an attack in one of the subdimensions some ten years before I was born. General Asantares himself was responsible for the attack, and the circumstances surrounding the attack have not been fully clarified to this day. The other bloodline, Phoebus, has survived to this day through my mother and me.

Many Dimensioners have Faey bloodline in them, some stronger, some weaker. My mother’s bloodline was so strong that until I was born, she was the only one who could channel the energy of the sun and open portals without the help of Faey. I was lucky enough to inherit the power of opening the portals from my mother. And to everyone’s great surprise, I do not only open portals without Faey’s help; I can also create whole new dimensions. And that was the very likely reason for my near-abduction. How the rebels even found out about my powers remained a big mystery until today, since only my parents, Cassie’s parents, and Mother Faey knew about my ability. Although this was a well-kept secret, shortly before my thirteenth birthday, rumours about my powers began to surface, which my parents of course vehemently denied. These rumours must have somehow reached Asantares, who desperately needed new sources of energy and resources. The Onyx dimension, where he and his outcasts are residing, was almost drained of all its natural resources. Only the creator of a dimension can expand and change a dimension and with that create additional resources. And creating dimensions has not been possible for millennia, until I was born, which greatly surprised and frightened my parents.

I will never forget the moment my parents realised what I could do. I was only four, which added to the surprise, as such special abilities are usually developed only after the age of twenty-one. It all happened when I wanted to draw a horse, and I am really, really bad at drawing to this day. The lack of drawing talent annoyed me beyond comprehension, and every horse I drew looked like a square fat pony with legs too long and a head that was way too big. My mother sat patiently with me in my playroom and was encouraging me, while each picture looked more abstract and less like a horse. After couple of hours, when I refused to eat dinner or drink, the last picture made me so angry that I sat in the middle of the room with tears of anguish in my eyes, staring at the picture and trying to form the shape of my pony, Pancho, in my mind so I could draw it on the paper. How I managed to feel such anger at my own failure baffles me even now.

I was so stubborn and determined that I felt like I would explode. I can vividly remember suddenly becoming overwhelmed by an incredible feeling of energy. I could feel the warmth coming into my body from the ground and the air. I was not at all intimidated or frightened by the feeling. In fact, it calmed me down and erased all my frustration and anger. After this surge of energy filled me I was able to concentrate on the form of Pancho. I saw exactly how he looked, his eyes when he stared at me. The sound of his hoofs and his smell were perfectly clear in my mind, like he was there with me. I could feel the warm air swirling around me. Suddenly there was a slight pop, and Pancho manifested in perfect miniature version in front of me, galloped across the room, knocked over all the toys and books on the shelves and disappeared in an explosion of little colourful stars.

I was immensely amused by all this, and I will never forget my mother. She stood pale beside me, completely speechless. When the miniature Pancho exploded, she picked me up, kissed me, told me she loved me and that everything was all right and took me to my father. I wasn’t the least bit scared, but despite being only four years old, I felt a change deep inside me that connected me to a higher power, which of course I didn’t understand at the time. To be honest, I still don’t fully understand the power inside me, I only know that it is still steadily growing. In that moment, despite being only a four-year-old child, the feeling deep inside made me feel very strong, and I was very pleased with myself. Then I remember that Mother Faey came soon afterwards. While she held me in her arms, I easily created Pancho once more. That was the day she gave me a necklace on a thin gold chain with a pendant as a gift. The moment Mother Faey put it around my neck, we connected. Connecting with her was a most wonderful feeling, one that cannot be described.

A word about my father. My father is a descendant of the Canopus dynasty from Tramelan Dimension, which is the central dimension of our Solar Guard. The very few and most powerful members of the Canopus Dynasty, my father being one of them, can channel their own energy and manifest it in fiery swords and wings. His grandfather could also channel the energy of the sun and open the portals with the help of Faey. I am most likely able to open portals without the help of Faey because this ability was in my blood from both my mother’s side and my father’s side. This power did not manifest in my father, but it is not unusual that strong powers often skip a generation. After all the surprises with my unexpected powers, mother keeps waiting for me to grow the fiery wings as well, which I keep telling her is not going to happen.

I am not sure how, but I just know that this is not going to happen. Only one other dynasty besides my father’s, the Helios dynasty, has been able to manifest fire wings and swords. My father is, like me, a great horse lover and an excellent rider. When I was younger, we used to sneak out to the barn very early in the morning, taking long rides where we would gallop across fields and jump over obstacles on the way. Nothing was too high or too crazy for us. Our favourite was jumping over fallen trees and galloping through shallow parts of rivers around the caste. Every time we came back soaked, my mother nearly had a stroke because she knew that we were heedlessly racing through the fields and rivers. But I’ll never forget the fun we had and Dad’s careless laughter. When I was very young, Dad used to call me ‘my little fish’, and to this day, I love pictures of fishes because they always remind me of Dad.

Cassie’s family unites two dynasties – Lunaris, from her mother’s side and Astralis from her father’s. Both her father and mother have a strong Faey bloodline. Cassie and her mother have very powerful illusion-creating abilities. Her mother always creates the illusions of most beautiful fireworks for our birthdays in the most glorious colours and shapes. Cassie’s father has powers that are quite rare. He has a very strong power to heal with his energy. He healed our bruises and scratches countless times before our mothers saw them, saving us a lot of trouble and lessons about how little children should not climb high rocks and trees. When my mother was really angry with me when I was a young teenager, she always said to me, ‘My dear, the only thing that comforts me in this moment is that one day you will have children of your own, who will be as fearless, curious, and stubborn as you. Then you will understand how I feel.’ Of course, I found that extremely amusing at the time, and I always thought that I could only hope that my kids would be like me.

Chapter 2

The school

Cassie and I stood excitedly in front of the portal that would take us to our new school on Earth. Portals are used for travelling between dimensions, and all our portals are powered by the energy of the sun. The portals are mostly created and operated by the Faey, and without them it is almost impossible to open them. The only other way to open them would be with extremely strong, dark energy, which would require channelling a lot of the energy from Dimensioners. Such channelling is always fatal for the energy source, as it literally sucks the life out of the body. Our bodies produce the energy that powers our special abilities, and it can be harvested against our will. If the energy is channelled with force from someone, it is always brutal and painful. It drains us and turns us into human non-rechargeable batteries. We can of course voluntarily share our energy to a certain extent to amplify the powers of someone else. That is not painful at all. It can be draining, but we recharge very quickly after voluntary energy sharing. Plenty of water and some food always does the trick.

As we waited to enter the portal, I grasped the pendant on the chain around my neck that was a gift from Mother Faey. The pendant is round, framed by a ring. The ring represents the shape and boundaries of our solar system and the portals. Inside the thin ring is half of the sun, with seven rays on one end and half of the moon on the other. The crescents of the moon are connected to half of the sun and together they form a whole – half moon, half sun, with three prolonged sun rays representing half of a star. In the exact middle of the pendant sits a Faey Dimension stone, which looks similar to a round diamond, with countless facets that reflect colours that cannot even be described. The stone always has a faint glow that makes it breathtakingly beautiful. The pendant has a special significance, as it represents the unity of our solar system and its main elements – sun with fire, moon, stars, portals and dimensions. I have not taken it off since I received it as a gift and it has always given me strength and centred me when I felt the need. It has also given me comfort in hard moments.

I also feel Mother Faey’s presence through the pendant when she is reaching out to me. It is our communication tool. When Mother Faey wants to speak to me or connect with my thoughts, the pendant gently vibrates and becomes warm. Of course, I can always decide whether I want to answer the call and connect with her thoughts or not. My privacy is always respected though. Our communication through my pendant is sort of one way, as only Mother Faey can contact me directly. I can always send her a message, but we can only connect on her request.

I was holding my pendant in one hand and Cassie’s hand in the other, looking forward for the start of the school year. I felt as excited as Cassie. We both liked to venture into the unknown, and this was our biggest adventure so far. Deep inside me, I knew that our stay on Earth would be life-changing and that we were facing great adventures. As it turned out, I was not mistaken, and my expectations were surpassed.

Two Faey called Sar and Nor would stay with us the entire time for additional safety. They would remain invisible to the teachers and rest of the students. They would not be with us twenty-four–seven and would decide on their own when they needed to accompany us. We both really liked Sar and Nor and we immediately connected. Faey are amazing and wonderful beings who can see parts of the past, present, and future of all living creatures. They are the purest form of energy and the most powerful beings, who are almost untouchable and incredibly powerful. They look very similar to humans, but they always have a golden shimmering aura around them and wings that they can either hide or display as they please. They can influence the weather, feelings, create shields, heal, create powerful illusions, and stop mighty armies with a wave of their hand or with the pure will of their thoughts. In fact, no one exactly knows what Faey are capable of, as they serve no one and very rarely interfere in dimension and subdimension conflicts. They are highly respected for their power and abilities and can be visible or invisible.

The only thing that can truly affect Faey is dark energy. Earthlings can often feel them in their proximity, although they don’t realise what they feel. When Faey are present, Earthlings sometimes feel an incredible energy rush and are capable of things that their bodies would not be capable of under normal circumstances. Earthlings can sometimes even see portals but do not recognise them as portals and think of them as natural phenomena, like the Northern Lights, which in fact are the main portals to the Faey dimension, or Sun Dogs, also known as parhelions, which are other portals to different dimensions.

Our school is an impressive building, a mix of modern and traditional, set on top of a hill, walking distance from beautiful cliffs. One of the things I love the most about our school is the smell of the ocean. Locals don’t really pay any special attention to the school, as it has been here for centuries, and they consider it a normal school for gifted children. The only thing that has changed over the years is that another wing was added to the original building. With this most recent addition, the school is now built in a semicircular shape, surrounded by beautiful green woodland and pastures. The main entrance to the school is at the outer centre of the semicircle. On the outside, the building looks like a twelfth-century fortress, somewhat reminiscent of Kilkenny Castle. The modern educational area, with spacious classrooms and training rooms, blends wonderfully with the traditionally built residential part of the castle, where students have their own living quarters. The second floor is for girls, with a wonderful view of the ocean. The first floor is where the boys have their dormitories. Our floors are separated by an energy barrier on the staircase, which makes it impossible for hormonal teenagers to access each other’s floors after nine p.m, to the strong dislike of many hormone-charged teenage girls and boys. The living quarters for the dean and the rest of the staff, along with the common room, dining room, and the indispensable hospital section, are located on the ground floor. A magnificent winding staircase connects the floors leading from the dormitories to the common room. The common room is connected with the dining room and has a glass corridor to the education area.

Travelling through the portal is easy and pleasant. It only takes a moment, and when you enter the portal, the travel is like being embraced by nice warm water that doesn’t make you wet. And before you know it, you’re on the other side. The portal we took to reach the school led us into a common room, where several of our fellow students had already gathered. A portal always arranges itself to accommodate everyone who is travelling, so there is no chance of bumping into the person who has gone through the portal before you, unless the person is not very bright and is moping in front of the portal for no reason whatsoever, in which case it is possible for someone to land on their arse when you bump into them. Just as air traffic controllers control flights, the portal itself controls the travellers through the portal. Basically, we can all enter through various portals at the same time, and then the portal itself schedules our travels. It simply slows you down or make you travel faster without you even noticing or feeling anything.

The common room was loud and buzzing. Senior students, who already knew each other, gathered in groups and were animatedly exchanging news about how they had spent their holidays. Us first years, the freshlings, were immediately recognisable. We all looked slightly nervous, and the fact that we all looked a bit lost totally gave us away, all except one, a very loud and rather flamboyantly dressed girl, who was obviously a freshling like us. She was short and curvy with long black hair. Her breasts were very small for such a curvy figure, which made her body appear even more asymmetrical. Her face was narrow with a pointed chin dominated by a slightly hooked nose. Her eyes were beady, charcoal black, and her complexion was a little darker with an unusual grey tinge. She was wearing a very tight short electric-blue skirt with a red lowcut top. And she was wearing the highest heels I have seen in my life. I wondered how she could even walk in them without breaking her ankles. To complete her look, her long stiletto nails, painted a screaming red colour, grotesquely resembled bloody claws.

Three girls were standing next to her, silently enduring her loud talking. When I looked at Cassie, even though she was as disoriented as I was, we both burst out laughing. I said, ‘Wow! We’re definitely not going to become BFFs with this one.’ Before we could start commenting on her fashion sense, the professors came down the staircase to greet us. Dean Eleanor Sophos was in the middle of the group, emanating pure authority and frankly, she looked intimidating. She was tall and lean and was dressed in an elegant black pantsuit with a crisp white blouse. The other professors were dressed in black. I said, very quietly, ‘I don’t think we’re going to be BFFs with this one either,’ pointing to Dean Sophos. Cassie laughed at my comment.

‘Good morning, dear students. It’s great to see both new and familiar faces. I hope you all had a great summer and are looking forward to the new school year. All first years, please join Professor Anabella Tinkel and follow her to the dining room. Professor Tinkel will explain the rules, distribute the timetables, and show you your units in the dormitory.’ Professor Tinkel stood next to the dean and smiled warmly at us. I liked her immediately. ‘I wish you all a good school year. Enjoy your first evening and get some rest before tomorrow,’ the dean concluded in a clear, calm voice and headed with the other professors towards the dining hall.

‘Well, that was the kind of speech I like. It’s a good thing it didn’t take long, because that one over there,’ I pointed to the loud, raven-haired girl, ‘would explode if she had to remain quiet for another minute.’ And indeed, the girl began talking loudly, bragging about her birthday party and all the expensive presents, and the guests, and … and … and … and, … The second dean, Dean Sophos, finished her speech. We both just laughed and followed Professor Tinkel to the dining room. Our task, while we were at school, was to blend in, behave in a mannerly and unobtrusive way, and above all not put ourselves in danger with our exploratory expeditions. It was clear from the start that we were not going to be one of the cool kids.

I was very tall and thin for a seventeen-year-old. I will turn eighteen on the last day of my first year, and by then I hope at least to grow some breasts, something I’ve been waiting for since the beginning of puberty. No matter how much time I spent standing in front of the mirror every night, staring at my tiny breasts and trying to convince them to grow a little, or at least to round out a bit, it was all in vain, as if they had forgotten how to grow. My long legs were just too skinny, and I always had the feeling that my arms were too long. On top of all the insecurities, I started getting pimples all over my face exactly one week before school started. On the other hand, my lean physique did have one big advantage. From a very young age, I had trained in martial arts, where long legs and arms came in handy in one-on-one combat. It was also very satisfying when new defence/attack instructors on Aetheria underestimated my strength and speed because they only saw a skinny girl with big green eyes. I just loved to surprise them.

My complexion is quite fair, so all the pimples were easily noticeable. They just screamed look at me, look at me. My thick, slightly curly hair is very light brown or dark blond; It depends of how much time I spend in the sun. It is almost golden in the sun during summer, which nicely brings out the colours of my eyes. Cassie loves to braid my hair, and I enjoy the process as much as she does. She braided my hair in a beautiful French braid for our first day at school.

Despite my skinny figure, my muscles are nicely shaped, which is the result of years of training. They now remained well hidden under clothes that did not stand out or reveal too much. Cassie is slightly shorter than me and has a beautiful sporty body. She has her brown hair cut in a short bob and has sparkly brown eyes and breasts that are much bigger than mine, which is not difficult, because I practically don’t have any. She’s also been training in martial artists since she was a little girl. Our birthdays are only one month apart, and we have been inseparable since birth. Our mothers are also best friends, so our families are very connected, and with Cassie’s parents being in the closest council circle, our families spend the majority of their time together.

‘Here we go, first years, follow me,’ said Professor Tinkel loudly in a clear, pleasant voice. Professor Tinkel taught energy channelling, a very demanding subject, extremely important in mastering and intensifying powers. We all followed her to the spacious dining room. There were many round tables in the dining room, and as Cassie and I walked further back, we sat down at the last free table, close to the entrance. On my right sat a very quiet, petite girl named Jeanine, and next to Cassie sat a boy who seemed too timid for his tall and well-built frame. He had nicely defined muscles and warm, sparkly eyes. His name was Tom, and after few minutes it became clear that we were going to be best friends with Tom.

Once we had all the information we needed, Professor Tinkel led us to our accommodation units. Cassie and I are, of course, roommates. Each unit has two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a living room for studying and socialising and a small kitchenette. All units are very cosy, with stone walls built at the end of twelfth century and which have been modernised with Faey energy, so that it is always pleasantly warm in winter and refreshingly cool in summer. Large floor-to-ceiling windows cover almost the entire outer wall and give a stunning view of the sea from our bedrooms. The rooms have state-of-the-art technology that comes in very handy for studying and our movie nights. Our living area is furnished in cosy beige-and-white colours, with two crazy comfy armchairs and a sofa in front of a large fireplace. We love to sit on the carpet in front of the fireplace and eat pizza straight out of the box in the evenings when the weather is bad.

The bedrooms are amazing. We have king-size beds and ridiculously large walk-in wardrobes and super-soft beige carpet. The carpet is so thick that it feels like walking on the clouds. Kudos to the architect, who thought of everything.

Our unit is located at the end of the hallway, very close to the tower at the very end. This unit is least popular because of the tower, which looks a bit neglected from the inside. It of course looks perfect on the outside. The staircase in the tower is always draughty and half collapsed with no exit from the castle, so it cannot be used for sneaking out of the castle. I always wondered why none of my fellow schoolmates ever even mentioned the tower or came near it. The whole school is state-of-the-art, and the half-dilapidated tower staircase really did not belong in the context of the school. Yet nobody thought it was strange that the staircase had not been repaired. Everyone simply wanted to avoid it.

It soon became clear that it was Faey who caused this disinterest. No matter what the reason for this ignorance was, I was incredibly grateful that no one was interested in the tower, as it was our little sanctuary. It gave us the chance to have our own space like this, as no one tried to sneak into the tower to smoke or make out in secret. Except once, in our first year, when one of our classmates accidentally opened the door to the staircase leading up to the tower and ran away screaming at the very sight of the rats. But this story did not even remotely get any attention, and no one even cared or mentioned it twice. The rats are, of course, just an illusion created by Cassie. Our room is unpopular not only because it is right next to the dilapidated tower staircase but also because it is the furthest away from the common area and the dining room. We have to walk further than the rest to reach the corridor that connects the common area with the education centre.

There was a very good reason for the ‘worst’ room we were allocated from day one. The tower has a small living room at the top with two comfortable armchairs, a sofa, a large double bed, a tiny kitchen niche and a bathroom. The room at the top of the tower is also our panic room. But that is not all it is. Our panic room has a portal to my other panic room, that is not a room – it is a dimension. It is a dimension I created under Mother Faey’s watchful eye. I named the dimension Solaris. Dimensions name themselves and reveal their name to the creator when they are ready to be named. My dimension is very similar to both Aetheria and Earth. It has four seasons and is inhabited only by animals. The only visitors apart from me are Faey. I have a ranch with horses and some other domestic animals. The dimension is completely self-sustaining and has many mountains, lakes, green valleys, a sea and abundant fields with various crops.

The dimension is not yet completely finished, but since I am the only human and only visiting at the moment, I am in no hurry to expand the ecosystem. The ranch and the fields are looked after and maintained by Sar and Nor. There is currently only one portal in and out of Solaris, and it is located on top of the tower. Mother Faey is the absolute authority among Faey and the only one who is powerful enough to extinguish a dimension in the making, although she cannot create one on her own. This would come in handy in case things got out of hand while I was creating my dimension.

Surprisingly, I found out very early in the creation process that I could control the boundaries of the dimension quite well. I could feel the creation inside me. The whole process was similar to how I had envisioned Pancho when I was four years old, only now I envisioned parts of my dimension. It was complicated and yet so simple. With additional energy, I was channelizing from Mother Faey, it all went quite fast. I just had to think about the form of the mountains and lakes and they started taking form. I was absolutely exhausted afterwards and spent one whole week in bed. My super-proud parents spoilt me the entire week, so it was not at all bad. After Solaris was created, it took us couple more times to create animals and the ranch. Sar and Nor helped me with controlling the creation of details, as the hardest part was creating the boundaries of the dimension itself. Creating small details felt like a child’s game, and it was super fun, still exhausting, but I did not need to stay in bed for the whole week afterwards.

The entrance to the tower is guarded by an energy barrier created by Sar and Nor and is only accessible to Cassie and me, and until I figure out how I can bring Cassie safely through the portal, Faey and myself will remain the only ones that can travel to Solaris. Faey are the only ones who can travel through all the portals, since they control them. This makes Solaris perfectly safe for me, and since I created the dimension, I’m connected to it and the portal. I can feel when someone enters through the portal or leaves the dimension. My mother later told me that it was Mother Faey’s request for me to create a dimension of my own, and since nobody ever doubted Mother Faey, my parents of course immediately agreed.

In case anyone opened the door leading to the tower by mistake, that person would only see half-collapsed stairs, water dripping from the roof every time it rained, and rats. Loads of rats. Cassie was very proud of her rats. The ones she created on the staircase look so real that no one can tell the real and imaginary ones apart. They even smell and sound like rats. Cassie herself determines how long an illusion will last, and this one was created without an expiry date. When we were kids, we were immensely amused when people tried to saddle an illusion of a horse that Cassie had created. We found it hilarious when the saddle landed loudly on the ground, until we had to clean the horse barn for an entire month as a punishment when our mothers found out what we were doing. My dad, of course, always found the horse illusions hilarious as well, but I guess he was smart enough to agree with my mom. He would most likely have to clean the barn too if mom ever knew how we all laughed together.

It was agreed at the beginning that while the other students and most of the professors would return to their homes over the weekend, Cassie and I would mostly stay at school. As the portals are very busy on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings, the risk of our identities being revealed would be too high. Weekend traffic was always very high with many people who knew us from Aetheria and who we could bump into at any time, as we could not travel straight to Aetheria. Our travel home was always through several dimensions. In case our true identities were revealed in the process, we would lose the possibility of a couple of carefree years at school. Surprisingly, none of the hundred-and-something classmates in all the four years never even noticed that we were staying at school for the weekends. Our parents would definitely have taken us out of school and we would have had to return to Aetheria immediately if anyone had remotely suspected who we were, which neither of us wanted to, because we had such a great time on earth.

Our parents were right – it did give us freedom, and not being recognised at every step was liberating. It also gave us a great chance to really get to know Earthlings as well as Dimensioners. After Cassie and her boyfriend, Liam, became a couple, I spent many weekends by myself, which did not bother me at all. I loved having Cassie around, but I also did not mind being alone. Being alone gave me some time to think, focus on myself, and, of course, visit my beloved Solaris. And for the last couple of months, I was not only focusing on myself during my lone time. During weekends, only a few professors stayed at school. In fact, only the janitor and the defence/attack professor usually stayed, a very statuesque and irresistibly attractive defence/attack professor whom I just could not get out of my head. Or dreams.

Dean Sophos is a personal friend of my mother and was, of course, informed that we would attend her school. As she was bound by a secrecy vow, which she herself strongly insisted on taking, our secret was safe with her. Our handsome defence/attack teacher occasionally saw us during the weekends, but we assumed that the dean had sorted the details. She could not reveal our true identity to him, but she must have informed him that we would spend most weekends at school. We didn’t really see the professor all that often, and on rare occasions we did, he never asked any questions or bothered us. But I wished he would. Maybe he just felt sorry for us, as we had to stay at school. He is so goodlooking, and every time I see him, it feels like I am being pulled towards him, like he is a magnet. I have been dreaming about him since my freshman year. At the beginning, the dreams were vague, and I usually just relived our very short conversations or his rare glances. But over time, the dreams became more intense, so very vivid and so very inappropriate, given that he was my professor, that I was blushing when I woke up. But the more I tried not to think about him, the more he visited me in my dreams. When I woke up, I could still feel his presence and was sad, because he wasn’t next to me. I was able to direct my dreams most of the time, and my imagination knows no shame, for they were dreams in which the professor played the leading role. The very thought of my dreams makes my stomach clench.

When Cassie and I both stayed at school for the weekends, they were always filled with a lot of fun, because we had the entire school and the school garden all to ourselves. There is a huge park in the middle of the compound, where we would have occasional outdoor classes in good weather and where we would lounge carefree in the shade of the trees during the weekends. The school garden has an energy dome that creates pleasant, warm weather in the summer. Outside the school, the temperatures are typical Irish temperatures, but we have a blissfully warm temperature inside the garden. When the weather was bad, we liked to spend hours walking around the school or sitting in the library in the evening. The library was magnificent and took on a mystical atmosphere in the glow of the candles and fireplace. We liked to sit on the floor in front of the fireplace, eat popcorn, and read horror novels aloud to each other during storms.

One particularly stormy night, the thunder scared us to the extent that we ran screaming to our room. That was the first time I had ever been in close proximity to the professor outside the classroom. As we ran down the corridor to our room, he literally appeared out of nowhere in front of us. It was pitch dark, and I bumped straight into him. It was probably just an instinct to prevent me from falling on my behind, but for a very brief moment, he put his arms around me and hugged me tightly. He must have just finished his training, because he was sweaty, wearing only loose training pants and a thin sleeveless cotton shirt. The smell of his sweat and freshly laundered clothes completely mesmerised me so that I forgot why we were running screaming down the corridor in the first place. When we started giggling, as only teenage girls can giggle, it instantly became clear to the professor that we were not in any danger and were not being chased by cruel Onyx rebels. He immediately let go of me and briskly stepped away. I wanted to scream and throw myself back into his arms, but luckily, I managed to hold myself back and keep my hormones under control.

When we stopped giggling, he authoritatively asked us what had happened. Since Cassie was the adult one in that moment and since I was still giggling stupidly, she answered with a half-straight face that took a lot of effort. ‘Professor, all is okay. No one is chasing us. We were in the library reading a horror novel out loud when we heard loud thunder followed by a lightning strike. We got a little too caught up in the novel and it scared us.’

‘Maybe you had better go with a book about princesses and unicorns next time,’ replied the professor, who could hardly contain his own laughter now that the panic had passed. I was in a trance for the rest of the evening and didn’t even notice when Cassie pushed a bowl of risotto into my hands. That night, my dream about the professor was the wildest and hottest I had ever had. It was so intense that I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and panting. It must have been his smell that triggered the dreams. It was beyond intoxicating, a smell I would never forget, of that I was sure.