The other world E-Book

Elias J. Connor

• Herausgeber: FINN Books Edition FireFly
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Kitty, apparently abandoned by her mother, and her friend Jojo are two normal girls who go to boarding school in the mountains of the Rocky Mountains. Or so they thought ... until one day they received a mysterious message from a strange, distant world that was in danger. Kitty and Jojo are supposed to go on a journey that will change their lives. Accompany Kitty and Jojo on their magical but also dark and dangerous first trip to the star of empires, which is also called Naytnal. Meet wizards, fairies, goblins and other monsters and beings, and get to know the deep meaning that Kitty and Jojo have in the end for the star of the empires. This is the first novel of the Naytnal series, the first volume of the fantasy series THE NAYTNAL CHRONICLES.

Leseprobe

Elias J. Connor

The other world

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication

Chapter 1 - A strange man and a strange being

Chapter 2 - The Lantyan house

Chapter 3 - Leonie and the mysterious scientist

Chapter 4 - Shaylan in the ice kingdom

Chapter 5 - Ion

Chapter 6 - The Tajunas from the floating island kingdom

Chapter 7 - Kitty's and Jojo's exam in the water town of Nyramar

Chapter 8 - The mysterious key of power

Chapter 9 - Kitty's first final fight

Chapter 10 - Ro'nan in the Wandering Steppe

Chapter 11 - Return to Yo'ria'san

Chapter 12 - Eileen

Chapter 13 - The spirit realm

Chapter 14 - Beyond the firewall

Chapter 15 - In search of Thunderbird's child

Chapter 16 - Kitty's second final fight

Chapter 17 - The end of a journey

Impressum

Dedication

For Nadja.

You know the world of Naytnal. For a long time.

For Liam Elias.

You have arrived in our world.

One day this story may be the first you will hear.

For Jana.

How could I find you among millions of people?

I am happy to know you.

Chapter 1 - A strange man and a strange being

  A dry bush broke away from the sandy ground and was swept across the lonely, long road by the wind. The man looked after him. Then he sipped again from his water bottle and then put it back into his brown backpack, which he then hung around his shoulder again. A few clouds appeared on the horizon, which could probably indicate a typical, short summer thunderstorm. The man stopped for a moment and looked at her. Then he took a deep breath, scratched his beard, and kept walking. A nice day for hiking, he thought to himself.

  A little later you heard a clatter of a sign. An old highway sign saying "Welcome to Desert End - next stop 55 miles." So there had to be a little place nearby, the man could maybe stay overnight, because he would surely be 55 miles to the next stop today no longer create. The setting sun loomed over the peaks of Monument Valley on the horizon, and the wind grew stronger. The man looked around for houses. He didn't see any, but a small dirt road led away from the country road, probably leading to a hostel or a motel. Just what he needed now - a simple, nice room with a creaky, creaky bed and a shower. Maybe a small TV in the room so that he could catch the latest news before he went to sleep.

  Before the man wanted to inspect the dirt road, he sat down again on a bench by the roadside to review all the impressions of the day. He could hear thunder on the horizon. Aha, the approaching thunderstorm is already in full swing back there, he thought. He took a map out of his pocket and a felt-tip pen as well. Then he drew the route he made today on the map.

  You couldn't say how long the hiker had been on the road, but the way he looked, for days. His clothes were dusty and dirty. His hair was greasy and his headband, which featured the American flag, was soaked in sweat from the heat here in the middle of the Arizona desert. Which madman is walking in the desert? But maybe he was on a motorcycle and broke down. But because the gas stations, let alone towns around here, are often hundreds of miles apart, you had to consider a multi-day hike to the nearest town if you didn't want to wait endless days.

  Another thunder, which this time sounded much closer. The thunderstorm seemed to be coming at great speed. One should be a cloud, the man thought to himself. The sky suddenly darkened and several lightning bolts flashed. The man stayed seated anyway.

  As if spellbound he looked at the sky. The clouds suddenly began to circulate. They turned, and faster and faster. A tornado? On such a day? Another loud thunder. A power line appears to have been struck nearby; the sound was unmistakable. The clouds formed a vortex, immensely large, getting closer and closer. Trees were thrown through the air, a car flew through the air.

  But instead of taking cover, the man just sat there rooted to the spot and looked at the sky, petrified, always in the same direction. Suddenly something very strange flew out of the cyclone. It was big, very big. It had wings and had a strange green sheen. Its wings flapped slowly, almost calmly, as if gliding. Apparently the wind couldn't harm the strange creature at all. It looked dangerous. And scary. But it was kind of a fantastic creature too, admirable and almost majestic. And that's how it ended up suddenly. It landed right in front of the man's eyes.

  It reared up in front of him. With its huge googly eyes in its head that looked like an ugly snake's, it looked down at the man. It then let its wings droop and snorted a cloud of smoke from its two gigantic nostrils. The creature appeared to be some kind of dragon, a mixture of dinosaur and lizard. His legs were thin, almost small in contrast to his majestic body. The strange creature then lowered its neck until it looked the man straight in the eye.

" Make your wish!" It said in a deep, fervent sounding voice

" Who are you? What are you? ”The man said mechanically, but still not trembling with fear. He looked apathetic, like a stringless puppet.

" Make your wish!" Repeated the being fervently. His voice was somehow distorted, tinny and echoing at the same time. Much louder than the wind. And strange, strangely strange. “Make your wish! I, Thunderbird, came from the vastness of space, here to offer you world domination. I am all powerful. Exchange your soul with me and you will receive unlimited power, mine unlimited power. You become the emperor, the absolute ruler of your planet. Make your wish! "

  The man still stood there as if frozen in a pillar of salt. He looked almost robbed of his ability to act, like a stationary machine without oil. No doubt the alien Thunderbird must have hypnotized the man as deeply as no one had been hypnotized before, and the power, the power with which Thunderbird did this must have been immense as never before Power has never been in the whole world. The man had no chance but to give the answer he had to give.

" I wish to exchange my soul for yours," the man then spoke slowly.

" Well," said Thunderbird. "So be it!"

  Then he craned his neck in the air. A deep red fountain of fire shot out of his big mouth and he showed his teeth as he blew them out. Then suddenly the hurricane swallowed the kite and the man, and shortly afterwards the clouds, the whole storm, disappeared as quickly as it arose.

  There was now a mysterious calm on the edge of this long, endless highway.

Chapter 2 - The Lantyan house

  The snow fell softly on the yard. Fog spread across the valley. It seemed to be slowly devouring the mountains that surrounded the valley. And it was dark. Even around 5 p.m. The courtyard was already completely white and icicles hung from the gutters of the huge gray concrete block. Some as big as several floors.

  It was very quiet in the yard. A few children dragged wooden boxes around. They didn't seem to know what to do with it. Other children played basketball. Still other children tried to shovel the snow from the yard. And again and again one saw mysterious women dressed in black and white running around, and every now and then one heard them scream an incomprehensible sentence.

  Light shone behind almost every window of the huge, never-ending, gray building complex. Most of the children were probably preparing for dinner now. A mobile could be seen turning behind a window. Upon closer inspection, one saw that a person seemed to push it over and over again.

  Lantyan - the elite boarding school in the American Rocky Mountains. One of the most famous houses in America. Only selected children, mostly from wealthy families, ended up here in order to enjoy what they call a very special upbringing. In truth, everyday life here is rather dreary, and the children have to lend a hand and work a lot, and they have little free time for their own interests. Even the older children, who repeatedly asked for more free time and less work at meetings, never met the harsh regime of the boarding school with their wishes. Most of the children bowed to their fate, willy-nilly.

  There was a hustle and bustle in the hallway. Some children yelled, screamed, laughed, and were then admonished by the educators. A girl in a red dress, around 14 years old, ran over a smaller boy and then complained to him about what he was doing here. Then it ran into a room and slammed the door.

" Kitty?" She called. "Kitty!"

  She switched on the light because the room was very dark.

" Kitty, are you sleeping?" The girl called.

  Another girl with shoulder-length, blonde hair, around 13 years old, was sitting at the window and repeatedly pushed a mobile made of glass fragments, which was hanging in front of it and at it

spread the light reflected from outside in the room and cast soft plays of light on the wall of the room. It seemed to be lost in thought. She hummed a melody softly. It always seemed to be the same melody, always in the same sequence of notes.

" Hello! Earth to kitty. Turn on the brain sensors, ”joked the one girl who opened the door so hectically. "Man, there'll be food in half an hour and you're not even dressed."

" What?" Kitty started. Then she turned and tied the belt of the bathrobe she was wearing. "Oh ... hey, Jojo."

  Jojo took the brush from Kitty's bedside table and combed her wavy brown hair. "I can?"

" Is your brush gone again?"

" Without a trace. You know that. "

" Why do you keep messing up your things?" Complained Kitty. Jojo looked at her perplexed and then continued. Kitty came down from the window sill and went to the closet. She opened it and looked for matching pants. When she said she couldn't find any, she closed the closet again.

" Hey, do you want to eat in your bathrobe? We're allowed to sit with the boys today ... “, laughed Jojo.

“ You and the boys always. The stupid food is slowly boring me anyway, ”Kitty replied. Jojo then grabbed a small perfume bottle and made something of it on his neck. Then she put a little chain on.

" Tell me, don't you think you're exaggerating something?" Asked Kitty, shaking her head.

" Do I look good?", Jojo asked without waiting for an answer. “Come on, do it. We have to be right away. "

  Kitty laughed briefly at Jojo, then took off her bathrobe and put on jeans and a matching sweater. On the sweater there was a picture of a huge kite, breathing fire over a city.

" What's that supposed to mean?", Jojo marveled, slightly sullen.

“ I wear what I want. I also like kites, ”Kitty replied.

" But you look like a child in it."

" I'm one too."

" Baby, baby, baby ...", Jojo sang teasingly. Kitty then hit her on the head.

" Man, Kitty. You're 13. Behave yourself like that, too, ”Jojo countered.

  The dining room was now pretty full. The children who were destined for today handed out the food. Like security guards, numerous educators were scattered around the room. It happened only once a month, but at least it happened that the children were allowed to have dinner together in mixed groups. There used to be separate times to eat here on Lantyan for boys and girls. But after a meeting recently, a group of children managed to get a "mixed dinner" once a month. Today was one of those days that Jojo had been looking forward to for a long time. Full of expectation, she entered the large dining room, behind her Kitty ran, amazed and shy.

" Don't jostle!" Shouted a woman, dressed in something like a nun's costume. “Everyone calmly goes to his place! And noiseless! ”Shouted an older man in a suit. The dining room was huge. To his left was a long counter with the food on it - what they called food here. At the back there was a large wall with pictures of the founders of the boarding school. The ceiling of the dining room was high, at least twelve to fifteen meters. The hall was equipped with several large tables for 10 to 12 people, and many small tables for groups of four and six. Between the tables there were long corridors where the children jostled to get a good seat. The floor was freshly polished. It was made of gray tiles that sometimes caused some children to slip. On the right side were large windows, barred like a prison. The light was bright. Several simple spotlights monotonously illuminated the tables.

" Here," called a girl and beckoned to another girl. A little boy fell, got up, and fell again. A teacher roughly picked it up and blunted it in front of her.

" Jordan," a child could be heard calling.

" Larissa," called another. "Where are you?"

  Jojo briefly surveyed the situation. Then she spotted a table with two boys who she thought were cute. Two places were still available there.

" Come on, Kitty," she said frantically and pulled her friend's arm. "Over there." Jojo pulled so fast that Kitty bumped into someone. Jojo stopped and turned to Kitty. Kitty turned to the person who just bumped into her.

" Mr. Templeton ..." she said softly. Mr. Templeton was the head of the boarding school. He was always smartly dressed. The older children always warned the younger ones not to get too close. It is said that he has an allergy to children. In his large outfit, appearing snazzy in his deep blue suit, he stood in front of Kitty. His face was grumpy. He had gray hair and incredibly thick eyebrows that looked like horsehair. He looked grimly at Kitty. He seemed to be shaking and his face turned red.

" Out of my sight!" He yelled warningly at Kitty. Kitty took a step back.

“ Come on, Kitty. The places are still free, ”said her friend Jojo softly. The two girls then trudged over to the boys' table, where the food was already standing. A nasty-looking light brown mush, probably something with potatoes.

" Disgusting mush," grumbled Kitty, and had to catch a nudge from Jojo in the side.

" Hi", Jojo greeted the two boys with an almost exaggerated smile. One was dark blond, tall, well built. He looked a bit like actor Brad Pitt and appeared to be around 14 or 15 years old. The second boy was dark-haired, wore glasses, and was rather short, maybe around 11 or 12 years old. Kitty knew right away that Jojo would hit the big, handsome boy. The two girls sat down at the table and began to eat.

" Isn't that cute?", Jojo asked her friend and looked at the dark-blond boy.

" So ... I'm not an expert, but maybe you should speak to him," Kitty whispered back.

" I already have", Jojo replied annoyed.

" Hi," Kitty imitated ironically. The boys whispered too. When the eyes of Jojo and the dark blonde met, Jojo tried to always smile at him, in her almost over-artificial way. Kitty shook her head and let out a deep breath as she decided to get it done.

" Tell me, what's your name?" She finally asked.

" I'm Jeremy," said the Brad Pitt blend. He smiled at Kitty. "And you?"

" My name is Kitty Linnore," Kitty replied calmly. "This is my friend Jojo."

" Hello, Jojo," said Jeremy. Jojo nodded briefly. Suddenly her face was flushed with shame, so that she could pass through as a fire alarm. She couldn't utter a word.

" I'm Jesse," the smaller boy said finally. "What level are you at?"

" Sixth. And you? ”Kitty held up the fork, which briefly touched her hair. She skillfully wiped the fork with the napkin and then continued to eat.

“ Me in the fifth. Jeremy in the eighth. "

" Wow ..." said Jojo.

" Works great, doesn't it?" Kitty quipped at her friend.

" Shut up," Jojo replied sourly.

" Kitty Linnore ... where have I heard that name before?" I know you look familiar to me, ”said Jeremy to Kitty.

“ No art,” said Jojo. “Your mom is a researcher. A well-known astronomer. "

" She's an anthropologist," Kitty said softly, bowing her head.

“ About Leonie Linnore? The famous dinosaur hunter? ”Asked Jeremy. Kitty nodded.

" Man, crazy. I've read all of her books. I love what she does. It's hard to believe, I'm sitting here with Leonie Linnore's daughter. I had no idea that you ... tell me, what are you doing here in Lantyan? Aren't you traveling with your mom? "

" What for?" Kitty made grumpy.

“ This is absolutely amazing. I didn't even know that Leonie Linnore had a daughter. She has never written anything about it in her books ... "

" She's got a lot to do!" Shouted Kitty. She got up with a jerk and dropped her fork into the food, so that part of the mush ruined the table. Kitty hurried out before an educator could hurry up.

" What's she got?" Asked Jeremy.

" Nothing. Don't take it personally “, Jojo answered.

  Once in her room, Kitty threw herself on the bed. She hid her head in her pillow and howled softly to herself. She cried almost motionless. A little later the room door opened.

" Hey, Kitty, are you okay?" Asked Jojo. She switched on the light, which Kitty must have forgotten. Jojo sat down on the bed with Kitty. The breeze made the mobile turn. Some glass fragments of the mobile reflected the light and threw small dots on the wall, which moved. Jojo put her hand tenderly on Kitty's shoulder. Then she brushed through her hair and pushed it aside so she might have a look at her face. Kitty then turned around. Jojo saw her tearful eyes.

" I'm sorry I screwed up about the boys," Kitty said softly.

" Not that bad," Jojo reassured her. "What was the matter with you, suddenly?"

" Don't know," breathed Kitty. She sat up and took off her sweater, which she threw on the floor. Then she got up and took off her jeans. Kitty's skin was light, but shone dull-dark in the dim light of the room. After she put on her nightgown, she went back to bed.

" It was because of your mom, wasn't it?" Jojo wanted to know. Kitty didn't answer.

  Jojo then put on her nightgown and then put her clothes in the closet.

  Jojo also put Kitty's clothes that were still on the ground in the closet. Then she was about to lie down in her bed when Kitty turned to her.

" Can you sleep with me today?" Asked Kitty.

" Sure," answered Jojo. Then she went to bed with Kitty and took her in her arms. "You do not have to be sad."

" She doesn't even want to know who I am," Kitty whispered.

" Why shouldn't she want that?" Asked Jojo.

“ She was never here. She never visits me, ”Kitty howled. "Why not? Why not?"

" Maybe she has too much to do ...", Jojo tried to comfort.

" She doesn't want me," Kitty said desperately.

“ She definitely wants you, Kitty. She will definitely come to visit you soon. "

“ But I don't even know what it looks like anymore. All I have is an old photo. "

  Kitty took a photo out of her bedside table and handed it to Jojo. On it was a man, a beautiful woman, and a little girl three or four years old at most. The girl wore nothing but bathing trunks, the man wore a T-shirt and the woman a thin, multi-colored beach dress. There was a sea in the background.

" That was just before I got here," Kitty said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Right before my dad died." She paused for a long time. Jojo stared at the picture.

" I don't remember who brought me here, Jojo," Kitty said finally. “I just can't remember. Sometimes I think I've always been here. "

" Your mom is very beautiful," said Jojo softly.

“ Do you think she forgot about me? Just forget?"

“ Oh, Kitty. Your mom loves you. I am quite sure of that. I'm sure she'll come for you one day. She definitely hasn't forgotten you. Look, I don't even have parents ... "

“ But you have an aunt who visits you often. And that's where you always go on vacation. "

" Yes, yes ... but it's boring there. And it's as strict as the people here. "

  Jojo then put the photo back in Kitty's bedside table and turned off the light. Then she put her arm around Kitty again and snuggled close to her.

" I'm glad I have you," Kitty whispered as she turned to face the wall.

“ Sleep now. Tomorrow it will look better again ”, Jojo said softly, while she gently stroked her friend's long hair. It was very reassuring for Kitty to feel the closeness of her best and only friend, especially at that moment when she was so sad. Jojo fell asleep soon after. Kitty could feel her breathing evenly against her throat. She stared thoughtfully at the wall, hoping to fall asleep soon.

  The next morning Kitty was awakened by a loud thunder at the door. From the corridor outside you could already hear children screaming, and in between the loud voices of the educators. Kitty stretched, while Jojo seemed to be sleeping calmly.

  Again there was a loud knock on the door. "Stand up! If you're not out in ten minutes, there'll be a week of room arrest, ”Kitty heard a deep male voice call out. Oh, no, not Templeton again. This man was unbearable. And he was known to always keep all his threats. If he announced room arrest, it meant room arrest and nothing else. It was like being in prison. Kitty had been through this a few times and it was always he who put her under arrest.

" Quick, Jojo!" Kitty nudged her friend who opened her eyes with a yawn. Less than two seconds later she was in bed while Kitty was already getting dressed.

" Did Templeton have wake-up duty again today?", Jojo wanted to know.

" Wake up service! He likes to pull us out of bed so roughly. "

  Jojo rummaged around frantically in her closet.

“ Where are my shoes? I can't find my shoes, Kitty, ”she said.

" Under the bed." Frantically, Kitty dug out her brush and combed her hair. There was still five minutes left. Kitty frantically ran into the bathroom to wash up. In view of the passage of time, cat washing had to be enough, she could still shower later. Jojo frantically pulled out her shoes and put them on. Then she ran into the bathroom and brushed her teeth.

" How much longer?" She asked, her mouth still full of toothpaste. Kitty looked at the clock. "Three minutes." Kitty quickly tied her belt, then it was her turn to brush her teeth. Just a minute. Why did Templeton always have to wake the children so late? No wonder they often didn't show up for class on time.

  Exactly ten minutes after they were woken up, Kitty and Jojo were standing in the large hallway of the girls' dormitory. Templeton, standing in full gear at the end of the hall, looked at his watch, then looked at Kitty and Jojo. “Well, you just made it. You can say you're lucky, ”he grumbled. Then he went to the stairwell. Two other girls ran to the stairwell as if struck by lightning, and then Kitty and Jojo ran off too.

  Of course, boys and girls not only had separate sleeping floors on Lantyan, the floors with the classrooms were also in a different area for boys than for girls. The boys were taught on the fourth and fifth floors on the right-hand side, while the girls' classrooms were on the first two floors on the left-hand side. Thank goodness Kitty and Jojo's room wasn't too far from their classroom on the first floor.

  There was never breakfast on Lantyan before the first two school hours. During the long break, the children had the opportunity to get something to eat from a small shop on the ground floor - a sandwich or a bowl of dry muesli. The first two hours were therefore always the most uncomfortable school hours of the whole day. Especially in Kitty and Jojo's class, because they had history with Mrs. Greyhound.

  Mrs. Greyhound looked exactly as her name was - tall, gray-haired, and fat like one of the famous Greyhound buses. She always wore a nun's costume that was much too tight, which threatened to tear open at the back at any moment. On her nose, which looked like a bird of prey, sat thick, square glasses. If there were any epitome of ugliness, it would easily be Mrs. Greyhound. She was as sullen as she was ugly. She was one of the strictest teachers on Lantyan.

  Kitty and Jojo were just able to sit down before Mrs. Greyhound finally entered the classroom.

" I assume that you have all prepared for today's lesson," she began before she even got to her desk. The students rummaged around frantically in their school bags and then took out a book and a notebook.

" Ashford, Lynn?" She called. She never announced that she would check attendance, as she generally did that every time. "Present," answered Lynn Ashford. It was just as common that the children always had to answer “present”. "Boyce, Benjamine?" "Present." "Benedict, Samantha?" "Present."

" I haven't learned," whispered Jojo Kitty.

" You would have done better." Kitty put her book and notebook on the woodworm-eaten school table.

" I just didn't have time." Jojo shrugged his shoulders and tried to appear as innocent as possible.

" Frey, Harriet?" "Present."

" Do you think she'll have a test written?" Asked Jojo. Kitty whispered.

" Goose, Josephine?" Exclaimed Mrs. Greyhound. Jojo stared into the air. "Goose, Josephine?" Said Mrs. Greyhound, even louder. Jojo took a deep breath. "Present," she replied disapprovingly. Jojo didn't like her full name, and several times she risked room arrest for telling Mrs. Greyhound that her name was Jojo and not Josephine.

" Holstein, Daniela?" "Present." Most of the girls were present, and if not, the girl in question was always arrested, or she was sick and Mrs. Greyhound had already received news from the medical department. It was actually pointless to check the presence every time. The teachers always knew where the students were.

“ Are you feeling better today?” Asked Jojo Kitty. Jojo was just thinking of last night when Kitty was so mad because of her mom.

“ Don't know. I'm still bad. ”Kitty brushed her long, blond hair from her face and let out a sigh.

" What do you think if we play something outside this afternoon?" Jojo wanted to cheer Kitty up. Kitty smiled and nodded. At least she still had Jojo. Her best friend.

" We could maybe play baseball with the boys if they let us."

" Linnore, Kitty!" Mrs. Greyhound called loudly. "There is no chatter here."

  Mrs. Greyhound continued her list to the end. "Now take a blank sheet of paper", she said afterwards. “You will now write an essay on the Reagan era. I will give you an hour for this. Then the essays are collected. And off."

" An unprepared test ..." one girl cursed softly. Mrs. Greyhound put her alarm clock on the table and turned it. The class began to write at the same time. It was so quiet that only the ticking of the clock could be heard echoing through the medium-sized classroom. Mrs. Greyhound never needed many words. She was never a friend of many words in her teaching method either. Most of the time, she let the class do some paperwork while reading a book - but without ever losing sight of a student.

  Kitty kept writing and writing as if her thoughts were just flowing into her. Jojo let her pen slowly circle over her blank sheet of paper. After a few minutes she nudged Kitty under the table. Kitty glanced briefly, then went back to her work.

  Less than a minute later, Jojo nudged her friend on the knee again.

" Psst", Kitty made inaudibly quiet.

" Hey ..." whispered Jojo. "What have you got already?" Jojo made sure that Mrs. Greyhound had buried her head deep in her book and hoped to be able to at least pick out the most important dates from Kitty. Because of course Jojo hadn't had time to study because she was looking forward to yesterday's dinner with the boys too much.

" Be quiet!" Kitty warned in a whisper. "If she catches us, it's our turn." Kitty continued to write, but put her paper down so that Jojo could take a look at it. Apparently not good enough, because a short time later Jojo nudged Kitty a third time. Kitty looked solemnly at her friend - and just then Mrs. Greyhound looked up from her book.

" Linnore!" She snorted. "You will hand in your work immediately."

" But ..." Kitty breathed frantically.

" Right away, I said." Mrs. Greyhound was adamant. “And you've been arrested for a day. See you tomorrow morning. "

  Reluctantly, Kitty took her sheet of paper and put it on the table by Mrs. Greyhound.

“ That's not fair, Mrs. Greyhound. It wasn't Kitty. I have ... “, Jojo tried to rush to her help quickly, but the teacher seemed to know better.

“ And you are silent, Josephine. Otherwise you will be forced to work today. "

  Everyone knew what that meant. The children were sentenced to various activities such as carrying boxes or tidying up the basement for the whole afternoon, until late in the evening, mostly as punishment for inconsequential misdeeds. If they were lucky, they just had to sort files in the school office, which was less of a hassle.

   That’s how it has been since the beginning of Lantyan Boarding School. For over 100 years, and it hadn't changed until today - just before Christmas 2011.

  Jojo looked helplessly at Kitty as she passed her. Kitty looked at her and then walked out of the room without a word. Sure, maybe she was mad at Jojo, but she would never tell her friend. And she knew that Jojo wanted to help her, but couldn't.

It was long dark when Jojo came into the room. Kitty was back on the windowsill playing with the mobile. In doing so she was humming the same melody that she was humming last night.

" Hey, Jojo." When Kitty saw Jojo, she hopped down from the windowsill, visibly relieved. "Where have you been so long?"

" Penal service," said Jojo curtly. “I had to clean up the office. All day. "

" I'm sorry."

“ It's not your fault. But the greyhound is too stupid. ”Jojo sat down next to Kitty on the bed and put an arm around her. "And how was your day?"

" Tremendously exciting." Kitty laughed. "Hanging out, learning, playing with the mobile ... oh, I'm glad you're finally here."

  Kitty and Jojo were playing another game of cards. When they were done and Kitty was about to put the cards in the bedside table drawer, the photo of her mom caught her eye again. She looked at it sadly.

" Do you think that wishes come true sometimes?" She asked Jojo quietly.

" Yes, definitely." Jojo noticed Kitty's sad mood and wanted to improve her mood at all costs.

" I would really like to have her with me."

  Kitty put the photo back on the bedside table and then went to bed.

"In any case, you have me as long as your mom hasn't come here." Jojo pulled Kitty's blanket off. "Come on, slide a bit, then I'll sleep with you again." Jojo then slipped into bed with Kitty.

“ I keep thinking about her. I would love to know what she's doing right now. "

“ Maybe she's busy with excavations. Or she's writing a new book ... “The moment she said that, Jojo could have cursed herself for it. Leonie Linnore hadn't mentioned her daughter Kitty in any of her books, and Kitty had read them all.

" Why does she never write anything about me?" Some tears flowed from Kitty's eyes, but Kitty tried to hold it back. Jojo took her friend gently in his arms. She wondered what she could do to make Kitty better. But at the moment she couldn't think of anything. And she was totally overwhelmed by the tiredness that soon afterwards made Jojo fall into a gentle sleep.

  Kitty grabbed Jojo's hand. She thought about it. She thought about the vacation. She imagined her mom would come and maybe take her to a big city or a famous ski resort for Christmas. Kitty sank into her dreams. She could always imagine wonderful stories, but she became all the more sad afterwards when she realized that these were only dreams. Softly she hummed the melody that she always hummed. The ones she'd learned from her mom in the very early years. Kitty tried to close her eyes. But somehow she wasn't tired enough.

  Suddenly Kitty saw a strange light on the wall. She turned to the window. The shutters were down. At first she thought the mobile had reflected light from outside on the wall of the room, but how is that supposed to work? The shutters were down. And it should actually be pitch dark in the room. The faint, faint glow on the wall moved slowly. Kitty was chasing him. The light moved in the direction of the room door, where it then stopped. Kitty checked the mobile again. It hung quietly and no light illuminated it. Kitty looked at the door again. She couldn't take her eyes off the glow of light. It was strangely white, almost bluish, a bit like a block of ice, lit by a weak flashlight.

  A strange whisper then echoed across the room as if spoken from afar. Kitty was startled. And the whispering stopped again. Kitty held her breath. Suddenly a voice whispered again. A little louder this time. Kitty tried to understand something. Maybe the voice was coming from the hallway, but it sounded like it was somehow here in the room at the same time. She sat up slowly, and while she breathlessly tried to listen carefully to the voice, she did not take her eyes off the strange bluish-white light on the door.

" Kitty ..." the voice whispered very slowly and weakly. Kitty startled. She slowly stepped over the Jojo lying next to her and crawled carefully out of bed.

" Kitty," it whispered across the room again. The voice had something like an echo, a strong echo, as if it had come from a huge hall, but Kitty was now sure that the voice had its origin here in the room. As if rooted to the spot, she stood in the middle of the room, her gaze still strictly directed towards the door.

" Come on, Kitty," the voice whispered. "Come over!"

  Kitty tilted her head slightly to one side. She was breathing so softly that she could no longer hear herself breathing.

" Come to us, Kitty Linnore," Kitty heard the voice say softly. It sounded like a woman's voice, yet deep and dark. And in an inexplicable way Kitty felt something familiar in her, but at the same time so strange that she couldn't move a bit.

" Who is calling me?", Kitty finally breathed very softly.

" We," replied the whisper voice.

" Are you ... are you the light?"

" Oh my goodness," the voice whispered. It seemed to get lighter. Childishly lighter. Now she suddenly sounded like a little girl. The light started moving again and it was moving towards Kitty. Kitty still couldn't move. The light grew brighter too; it seemed to concentrate. It suddenly turned into what looked like a little blue shimmering sphere. This sphere was about eight inches in diameter, and it wandered right before Kitty's eyes. The light stopped about three feet from Kitty.

" But that took you until you figured it out," said a small being floating in the sphere to her. "Are you always so slow?"

" What?" Kitty breathed, puzzled. "Who are you? What are you?"

" Hey, no insults please, yes? Do you think you look pretty to me? "

" Sorry," Kitty whispered. She had to laugh. The creature looked funny. It had small wings, like a butterfly's. It had long hair, shimmering blue. His eyes were almost bigger than his head. If it looked human, it probably looked most like a girl. But it wasn't wearing clothes or anything. Its skin shimmered as bluish as its hair, and it danced nervously around the ball the whole time, waving its arms.

" I'm about what you would call an elf."

" An elf?" Kitty looked incredulous.

“ I've been sent to get you. We need your help."

" My help?" Kitty repeated softly.

" Hey, am I talking to a parrot or what?"

  At that moment Jojo turned around and mumbled something incomprehensible.

“ Listen, I can't go on here now. No more time. Come to Lantyan's basement right now. You can find out everything else there, ”said the being. And disappeared.

" Wait. I can't just leave here, ”said Kitty. But the being had already vanished and apparently simply vanished into thin air.

" Kitty, what are you doing?" Jojo's voice sounded very sleepy. Slowly she stretched and rubbed her eyes. Then she sat up and looked at the kitty standing next to her, who stretched both arms towards the wall.

" Did you just see that?" Kitty asked, still looking at the door in disbelief.

" What? Kitty, come back to bed and go back to sleep. "

" But Jojo, there was such an elf and she said ..."

" You must have been dreaming," Jojo interrupted while she got up and pulled Kitty by the sleeve.

“ I didn't dream. I haven't even slept yet, Jojo. The elf said I have to go to the basement. To help someone, you know ... "

" In the basement?" Jojo gave up. She let her arms hit her thighs and then went back to bed. "Have fun then," she said sleepily. Kitty then opened the door of the room and entered the hall as she was, dressed only in her nightgown.

" Oh, man, Kitty," Jojo swore, and set out to stomp after her. "Stay there now."

  Meanwhile Kitty had reached the stairs. It was very quiet in the dimly lit hall. It was at least two or three in the morning and everyone, even the teachers, was asleep. There were only a few night watches on the lower floors.

" Kitty", Jojo called, as quietly as she could, just loud enough for Kitty to hear her. Finally she caught up with Kitty on the stairs. "Can't you be left alone for a second?"

" Quiet," Kitty whispered. "They'll be done with their rounds right away, then we can go down."

“ How do you even know which cellar? Do you know how big it all is? "

  Kitty and Jojo had to run down from the third floor to the basement. The guards made their rounds every hour on the hour and it would be over in a moment. When Kitty was sure, the two girls tiptoed down the big, cold stairwell. They then came to an endless corridor in the basement that they walked along.

" What am I getting into?", Jojo swore softly.

" This way," said Kitty. "I think I know which room it is." She ran to a large steel door that was difficult to open. Jojo ran after her.

" Hello?" Kitty then called.

" Are you crazy? When they hear us ... “, Jojo was startled. Kitty then closed the door.

“ It has to be here. I can feel it somehow, "she said.

" I thought all doors were locked at night." Said Jojo.

" Do you see? But not this one. That's why it has to be here. "

" And now?" Jojo sat down on a wooden box. Kitty sat down next to it. Jojo looked around. Only the safety lights were on and it wasn't particularly bright down here. And it smelled strange, of moldy fruit or something like that.

" Are you sure you didn't just dream that?"

" Yes ... somehow."

" And if it does?"

“ Jojo, if I tell you. There was this elf and she had wings. She was floating in a glass ball or something. And she said she had to get me and I would find out everything else here. "

" There are no elves."

" Why not? Do you know? "

" Kitty," said Jojo calmly. "Come on, let's go back up." Jojo took her friend by the arm. Now Kitty, too, was beginning to doubt her perception.

" But ... I saw it ..." She followed her friend Jojo quietly, but when Jojo tried to open the door, it was suddenly locked.

" What is it?" Asked Kitty.

" Shit. They locked us in. "

" And now?"

" I don't know." Jojo tried a few more times to open the door, but it didn't work. Without a word she sat down on the wooden box again. Kitty sat down next to it.

" I want to go up again", Kitty said finally resignedly. "If that had been true, you would certainly be here already."

" I think so too", Jojo agreed.

  Several hours passed. The girls kept trying to open the door, which didn't work. Finally, exhausted, they fell asleep on the wooden box.

  When Kitty woke up again and then tried again to open the door, it suddenly opened again.

" Jojo," she said softly.

  Jojo yawned and stretched.

“ Jojo, come on. The door is open again. ”Kitty opened the big door. The ground was freezing. Everything was freezing here. The girls couldn't believe their eyes. Someone must have shoveled snow on the floor of the basement corridor in the meantime and covered the walls with ice. The whole corridor was made of ice. The faint light was reflected bluish in the ice.

" Did anyone make a joke?" Yelled Jojo. No answer came.

" Hello?" Called Kitty. But no one answered her either.

" Funny ...", she said to Jojo, while she felt the wall. "It has to be in the morning, otherwise there will be more going on here." Kitty poked a small hole in the wall with her finger. Then she scratched off some of it.

" Jojo, this is real ice cream" she said then.

" How, real ice cream?" Jojo did the same as Kitty, also bored a hole in the wall and scratched out some of the ice cream.

" If I didn't know better, I would say ... it's a huge igloo or something."

  Jojo looked around. Everything looked different here. She had only just discovered that there was no longer just one large corridor, there were now several corridors. They were not straight, like the one before, but curved. And there were no edges. And now there were three more stairwells, lit with torches, that weren't there before. The stairs were strangely winding, somehow sloping, and also without any edges. It looked very strange, kind of like the stairs were moving. And what was even stranger, they were all spiral staircases. Before, there wasn't a single spiral staircase in the whole house.

" It's cold here," grumbled Jojo. "I'm freezing."

" Come on, let's go have a look on the ground floor," Kitty finally decided. She walked slowly up the far left spiral staircase, where she assumed the original stairwell. Jojo trudged behind her, a little indecisive.

" If someone was joking, he was totally good," she muttered.

" And so quickly," confirmed Kitty. "Who can remodel the whole cellar in such a short time?"

“ Maybe these guys are behind it? Jeremy and Jesse? "

" I don't really think so ..." said Kitty.

  The girls then reached the first floor, shivering with the cold. This was supposed to be a large hall with gray concrete walls, and at the end of the hall a wide corridor that led to the dining room. And a big mechanical watch. The clock was there, but ... it seemed to hang upside down because it was running backwards in a strange way.

" Hey, Kitty, someone hung the clock the wrong way," said Jojo.

" Somebody totally rebuilt here," Kitty said slowly with her mouth wide open. Where was the corridor that led to the dining room? There was now a large, completely round hall, and instead of the corridor there was again a spiral staircase, exclusively upstairs, and much larger than the one before. And only now did Jojo notice it first.

" Kitty ... everything is made of ice here, too," she stated.

" Wow ..." Kitty said. As just below, she scratched another hole in the wall to see if it was actually real ice. Slowly she turned to the door that connected this room with the stairwell to the basement. However ... the door was gone. Suddenly disappeared, just not there anymore.

" Didn't we just come from there?" She asked, pointing her finger at the wall where the door was. Jojo turned around, and now her jaw dropped down too. For a few minutes the two girls stood in the room, silent and amazed.

  Kitty was the first to recover. "What do you think, let's try the stairs here?" She asked.

" Don't know ...", Jojo breathed a little frightened. Kitty then took Jojo's hand and together they climbed the large spiral staircase. There was no door here. The steps were slightly slippery, but it was still possible. Everywhere on the walls there were torches that, oddly enough, had a greenish-bluish tinge.

“ We should come out on the first floor now. In the classrooms, ”Kitty stated. The stairs seemed endless, sloping upwards, round and without edges. Slowly, step by step, the girls padded up the wide steps.

" If the classrooms are here, the students have to be there too," thought Jojo.

“ I don't hear anyone,” Kitty confirmed Jojo's statement. The girls kept walking. Until they discovered a door. The door was white. White and see-through, but you couldn't see what was behind her. The spiral staircase continued next to the door.

" Wait," warned Kitty Jojo, who was about to open the door.

" What is it?" Jojo let go of the door handle again.

" Just a premonition," Kitty stammered. “The stairwell was just gone before. When we came up from the basement, didn't we? "

" Mhm ...", Jojo made.

" If we go out there now, we might not come back down this stairwell either," Kitty concluded her guess. “Maybe we should go on to the third floor. Then we might come back to our room. And then maybe everything will be as it was before. "

  Kitty and Jojo, still holding hands, continued down the never-ending spiral staircase. They left another door behind them, which in theory would lead to the girls' classrooms in the upper school. Finally they came to another door, ice glasses, transparent and yet opaque, covered with ice decorations. In purely mathematical terms, this would have to lead to the third floor, where the girls' bedrooms were, hence also Kitty's and Jojo's rooms. Kitty slowly opened the big ice-covered door ... and Jojo and Kitty suddenly stepped outside.

  It was twilight here, shining pale blue. Kitty and Jojo looked at the sky. Stars, thousands upon thousands of stars, twinkled on a clear night. Not a single cloud was to be seen. Every now and then blue-green shining northern lights flitted past Kitty's and Jojo's heads, forming fountains, huge walls hundreds of miles high that seemed to protrude further than the moon was gone. Freezing cold made Kitty and Jojo's breath visible. They were breathing quickly, and both had their hearts racing. Neither of them knew where they ended up, much less how they got here. Kitty looked at the horizon. An ice desert, shining brightly in the moonlight, lay at their feet. On the horizon she saw some large icebergs. The ice desert looked freshly sharpened, as if no one had entered it before. Only a small, narrow path that snaked to the horizon indicated that someone must have been here before. Now Jojo also looked towards the horizon and saw the white, untouched ice that covered the whole land.

  Jojo turned around and tried to open the door again, which led behind her into a kind of giant igloo, from which she and Kitty have just come out. The huge door could no longer be opened, as if by magic someone must have locked it.

" We can't get in here anymore," she stammered to Kitty.

" Where are we here?", Kitty puzzled meanwhile, looking around again and again.

" If only we had better gone through the one door earlier."

“ This is definitely not Colorado anymore,” Kitty stated.

" Now what?" Asked Jojo.

" Don't know either ..." said Kitty, trembling. She was very cold with nothing on but her nightgown. Jojo was no better either. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing herself over and over, hoping that it would make her feel warmer.

" Maybe we'll go around the ice hut, there might be someone who can let us in again," thought Kitty. Slowly she trudged off. Their feet left faint tracks in the snow. Jojo padded after her, her gaze not averted from the giant igloo. Suddenly Kitty stopped and discovered a particularly beautiful aurora in the sky, which was just hovering over them.

“ Look, Jojo. Is that nice ... ", she exclaimed. Jojo was also amazed, but then nudged her friend to keep walking.

  Once around the igloo, the girls still didn't see anyone. But when they got back to the entrance, a strange figure was sitting there, staring at the two girls. Somehow the creature looked like an ugly teddy bear. It was about three feet high, had two thin long arms and two short stubby legs with two huge feet that looked something like duck feet. It didn't seem to have a head directly. Only at a second look one could see that the creature had the shape of a thick wool ball, with two eyes, a black snub nose and a small mouth in the upper half, which was almost completely hairy. Without a word, the creature threw two thick fur-like coats at Kitty and Jojo.

" Put on, that!" It muttered, in a strangely high-pitched but scratchy voice, atypical for its shape. The freezing girls, in spite of their amazement, did not allow themselves to be told twice and immediately put on their coats. Then the being gave them a pair of boots each, which the girls put on immediately.

" Who are you?" Asked Kitty, who was the first to recover.

" I am a furry creature," said the creature. "Furry creature."

Jojo looked at the creature questioningly. "Can you open the door again?"

“ Can, but don't,” said the being. “It doesn't work that.” It kind of hopped up and down in a funny and funny way.

" Why not?" Asked Jojo.

" This is Jojo, I'm Kitty," Kitty explained and then shook hands with the creature. "Do you have a name?"

“ I furry being. That's my name, ”it said. "I already know your name."

" Yes, really? Where from? "

“ I was sent. I have come to pick you up. "

" Pick up? Where to? ”Kitty looked puzzled. The creature hopped around, shaking its arms.

" Why can't we get back in there?", Jojo finally asked. She sat down next to Kitty and the creature in the snow. The creature looked at her with a grin, then shook itself.

" You're Jojo, aren't you?" Asked the creature, turning to Jojo.

" Yes," said Jojo with a blank look.

" You shouldn't have come with me," said the creature as it shook itself.

" Well, great," Jojo mumbled softly. "Listen, I would like to go back in there." Jojo sullenly pointed to the door, then looked at Kitty. Kitty seemed somehow intrigued.

" I already said, it doesn't work. You are allowed to come with me now, even if it wasn't planned," explained the furry being.

" And where should we go now?" Asked Kitty.

“ Kitty Linnore, little girl from a big gray house is called Lantyan, is to come to the ruler of the Ice Kingdom. Shaylan have been waiting for Kitty Linnore for a long time. "

In disbelief, Kitty looked the creature in the eye. “Shaylan? Ruler ... over the ice kingdom? "

" Kitty, I want to go back home ...", Jojo said to Kitty.

" You can't go home," said the creature to Jojo. “You still don't think you're here. But you here. Now, we are doing mission to accomplish. "

" What?" Asked Jojo.

" You have no choice, no, no, no ..." said the creature, hopping up and down, grinning. “Come with me now. I bring you to Shaylan, ice queen and ruler of the ice kingdom, the great, wide world of ice. Bring you to Shaylan's Ice Castle. Big tall ice castle. Shaylan is waiting there. Because she needs help. "

" It's okay, get yourself back," said Kitty. She had to laugh. The little creature looked too crazy, and the more she watched it, the more she seemed to like it.

  The furry creature then padded off with quick, short steps, but still slow enough because of its short legs so that Kitty and Jojo could follow him. Kitty and Jojo then started moving and slowly trudged after the creature.

" Where is the ice castle?" Asked Jojo.

“ Not far. We walk only one day and night, the castle just behind the cloud forest. "

" Cloud forest?" Repeated Kitty.

" Yes. Cloud forest. Forest full of fog. Nothing you can see in there. Nice scary. "

“ Scary? Great, I like scary things, "said Jojo. You couldn't tell if she meant it ironically, but Jojo is known to be into science fiction. Maybe she really wasn't afraid. In any case, Kitty didn't show hers.

" Tell me, are you the only creature of your kind?", Kitty finally asked the furry creature.

“ I'm not the only one. There are seven or eight thousand of us. Now be quiet. "

" And why are you talking so funny?" Jojo couldn't help but grin.

“ I said be quiet. I want to sleep. "

" What? Sleep?"

" We always sleep when we run," explained the furry being.

" Sleep? We're about to go to the cloud forest, and you want to sleep while running? ”Kitty said indignantly.

" You have to have faith in me."

  Kitty dropped her arms on her thighs and took a deep breath. She gave up trying to talk to the furry creature. Apparently she didn't seem to understand a lot. But this strange being would already know what it's doing. At a loss, Kitty took Jojo by the hand, then slowly padded after the furry creature.

  They walked on through the starry night. And the being slept while putting one foot in front of the other.

Chapter 3 - Leonie and the mysterious scientist

  The device that the young woman, perhaps 40 years of age, was dragging was very heavy. She exhausted herself quite a bit, and in this burning heat. Here it was at least 39 degrees in the shade, and that was actually still quite cool for 11 a.m. in this lonely, deserted area near the town of Alice Springs.

  Here in the outback, in the middle of the vast continent of Australia, it was always summer. It was the end of December now, and since it is winter on the other side of the world, when it is summer here it was even the thickest of summer, and as I said, the sun was hot. The glowing red desert sand even radiated the heat from below into the faces of the people who were busy here. Almost all of them wore white headscarves to keep the heat off. But they all sweated like a thunderstorm.

  Leonie laboriously stamped down a small slope that had been excavated hours before by a large excavator upstairs. When she got to the center of the hole, she put the device down and snorted loudly. She then adjusted her white T-shirt and stuffed it back into her long white pants. Then she looked at the device. She seemed to be considering.

  This silver-looking device was square, about a foot high, and stood on four large steel feet. A long black cable led out of the middle, at the end of which something like a thick wire peeked out. On one of the four sides of the machine was a monitor with a few buttons attached to it. It looked complicated in every way.

  Leonie stuck the black cable in the dry earth and then switched the device on. Nothing could be seen on the monitor, something apparently didn't seem to be working. In a rage, Leonie hit the device.

" Mrs. Linnore, take a break," said a woman who was trudging down the slope to Leonie. “You've been working here non-stop since last night. You should take a rest. "

" Thank you, Mayzee", Leonie answered the woman. She sat down on a box near the machine and took off her headscarf. Then she brushed through her wet, sweaty medium-blonde hair and brushed some of it out of her face before putting her headscarf back on. “But I cannot detect any seismological activity when I take a break. And they are important to support my theory. "