yourself?" Bindal stared at Terrana with large, round eyes.
"Sorta." Terrana shrugged her shoulders. She felt awkward, now knowing that she was the only student on board with a blue coin, travelling first class.
"No wonder Lorn held onto you tightly." A mischievous smile played on Bindal's mouth.
Terrana didn't know how to respond to that. To think that Lorn was with her only so he could travel in comfort hurt her feelings, and yet she couldn't fathom any other reason; she didn't dare to believe he really liked her.
"Don 't listen to her, Terrana," said Bagruth, walking up to them. "Lorn is a good person. He doesn't hang out with people he doesn't like, blue coin or not."
Terrana gave him a small smile.
"Miss Ondur ..."
"Yes, Kazu?"
"We'll be passing through the gate of Olden Kartath in one hour. You should be in bed or sitting down by then."
"Ok. Thank you, Kazu."
"Breakfast will be served in a few hours. Shall I notify the kitchen to cater for five?"
Five. Kazu had included Bindal and Bagruth. Terrana turned to the newcomers.
"Do you guys wanna have —"
"Yes!"
"Err ... breakfast for five then, Kazu. Thank you."
"You are welcome, Miss Ondur. Please don't forget, you must all be lying down or sitting before we pass through the gate."
Bindal grabbed Terrana's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed. She looked so happy and bubbly that Terrana couldn't help but like her. She looked around, noticing that Lorn was missing.
"If you're looking for Lorn, he's in the shower," said Bindal, flashing a cheeky grin. Terrana turned beetroot red.
"I wasn't, that is, I wasn't looking —"
"I was just teasing." Bindal's grin grew wider. "Gosh, you're a shy one, aren't you?"
"Why do we have to be in bed within the hour?" Terrana quickly changed the subject.
"Wow, you really are from Sector Thirteen. If Lorn hadn't told us, I wouldn't have believed it. Let's sit down first and I'll tell you."
The four of them headed to the pods by the window. Since she, Mikin, and Lorn had already claimed theirs, Bindal and Bagruth pulled down two more from the ceiling. As soon as they settled in, Bindal explained.
"The inhabitants of Olden Kartath are ancient and powerful. They invade the minds of those passing through their world and inflict them with terrible hallucinations. Seeing these hallucinations can make you go mad. Some people are even known to have died from them."
"That's awful. Why would they do that?" Terrana shuddered.
"Who knows?" said another voice. Terrana looked up and saw Lorn standing next to her. His hair was damp and he had changed his shirt, compliments of the cabin. He settled into his pod.
"The inhabitants of Olden Kartath are said to be one of the earliest sentient beings to exist," he said, picking up from Bindal. "Their world was probably the first to be born."
He paused for effect. "But then, something catastrophic happened, nearly destroying their entire world in the process. People have theories as to what might have caused it but, to this day, no one has been able to prove it."
"And the hallucinations?" asked Terrana. "What do people see?"
"They see pain, death, a world burning to ashes. They feel grief, and its burden is so great that those who are deeply touched by these hallucinations die from them. The only way to avoid them is to have a dreamless sleep."
"But I always dream when I sleep!" blurted Terrana, panicking. "What if I wake up or can't sleep?"
"You won't," said Mikin. "This ship was created by weavers to especially protect us from the hallucinations of Olden Kartath. We won't have a choice — as soon as we reach the gate, we will sleep."
"Oh." But Terrana still didn't understand completely. If Olden Kartath was so dangerous, why were they passing through it?
Lorn must have read her mind because he said, "We're in the world between worlds right now, Terrana. We're in the In-Between. To reach a different sector, we have to travel through the
"Sorta." Terrana shrugged her shoulders. She felt awkward, now knowing that she was the only student on board with a blue coin, travelling first class.
"No wonder Lorn held onto you tightly." A mischievous smile played on Bindal's mouth.
Terrana didn't know how to respond to that. To think that Lorn was with her only so he could travel in comfort hurt her feelings, and yet she couldn't fathom any other reason; she didn't dare to believe he really liked her.
"Don 't listen to her, Terrana," said Bagruth, walking up to them. "Lorn is a good person. He doesn't hang out with people he doesn't like, blue coin or not."
Terrana gave him a small smile.
"Miss Ondur ..."
"Yes, Kazu?"
"We'll be passing through the gate of Olden Kartath in one hour. You should be in bed or sitting down by then."
"Ok. Thank you, Kazu."
"Breakfast will be served in a few hours. Shall I notify the kitchen to cater for five?"
Five. Kazu had included Bindal and Bagruth. Terrana turned to the newcomers.
"Do you guys wanna have —"
"Yes!"
"Err ... breakfast for five then, Kazu. Thank you."
"You are welcome, Miss Ondur. Please don't forget, you must all be lying down or sitting before we pass through the gate."
Bindal grabbed Terrana's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed. She looked so happy and bubbly that Terrana couldn't help but like her. She looked around, noticing that Lorn was missing.
"If you're looking for Lorn, he's in the shower," said Bindal, flashing a cheeky grin. Terrana turned beetroot red.
"I wasn't, that is, I wasn't looking —"
"I was just teasing." Bindal's grin grew wider. "Gosh, you're a shy one, aren't you?"
"Why do we have to be in bed within the hour?" Terrana quickly changed the subject.
"Wow, you really are from Sector Thirteen. If Lorn hadn't told us, I wouldn't have believed it. Let's sit down first and I'll tell you."
The four of them headed to the pods by the window. Since she, Mikin, and Lorn had already claimed theirs, Bindal and Bagruth pulled down two more from the ceiling. As soon as they settled in, Bindal explained.
"The inhabitants of Olden Kartath are ancient and powerful. They invade the minds of those passing through their world and inflict them with terrible hallucinations. Seeing these hallucinations can make you go mad. Some people are even known to have died from them."
"That's awful. Why would they do that?" Terrana shuddered.
"Who knows?" said another voice. Terrana looked up and saw Lorn standing next to her. His hair was damp and he had changed his shirt, compliments of the cabin. He settled into his pod.
"The inhabitants of Olden Kartath are said to be one of the earliest sentient beings to exist," he said, picking up from Bindal. "Their world was probably the first to be born."
He paused for effect. "But then, something catastrophic happened, nearly destroying their entire world in the process. People have theories as to what might have caused it but, to this day, no one has been able to prove it."
"And the hallucinations?" asked Terrana. "What do people see?"
"They see pain, death, a world burning to ashes. They feel grief, and its burden is so great that those who are deeply touched by these hallucinations die from them. The only way to avoid them is to have a dreamless sleep."
"But I always dream when I sleep!" blurted Terrana, panicking. "What if I wake up or can't sleep?"
"You won't," said Mikin. "This ship was created by weavers to especially protect us from the hallucinations of Olden Kartath. We won't have a choice — as soon as we reach the gate, we will sleep."
"Oh." But Terrana still didn't understand completely. If Olden Kartath was so dangerous, why were they passing through it?
Lorn must have read her mind because he said, "We're in the world between worlds right now, Terrana. We're in the In-Between. To reach a different sector, we have to travel through the
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