The car wound through a long dirt road leading up to the power plant.
When they arrived, the driver opened their doors, and both women got out. Gerri wore a long peasant skirt in sky blue that matched her eyes. Her white top was flowy and made out of a stretchy material.
Bella debated for a while before ending up in a pair of loose sweatpants made out of thin cotton and a tank top that read “Curvy Girls Cuddle Better.” The tank showed off the brand-new flower tattoo on her shoulder. She'd gotten it as a gift for her last birthday a few weeks back. A way to celebrate being where she could finally say ‘fuck you, world’ and not care what others thought of her. She'd finally stopped being afraid of trying something new. At thirty-five, she wanted to try new things and stop worrying about consequences so much.
A tall, handsome man came out of the power plant with a huge grin.
“Gerri,” he greeted with a sigh. He lifted Gerri’s hand to his lips and gave her a kiss. “Looking beautiful as usual.”
“Steven, stop,” Gerri laughed. “You do this every time I come.”
“I can't help it. You look beautiful every time I see you.”
Gerri shook her head and turned to face Bella. “Steven, this is my assistant, Bella.”
Steven winked and offered a hand. Bella shook it and smiled. “Welcome, Bella. I assure you that you’ll have a wonderful time on your trip.”
She could tell Steven was used to seeing people come and go all the time from the ease with which he greeted her. “Thank you,” Bella said. “It’s nice to meet you, Steven. And I definitely look forward to seeing new things.”
“Wonderful. I’m glad you’re excited. Aurora is a fantastic place,” he said then glanced down at her shirt. “That shirt is absolutely correct.”
She grinned and nodded. “I know.”
“All right, Steven. Let's do this,” Gerri said.
Steven led them around the power plant. He pressed something, and the ground lifted and an elevator opened. The three went inside. The elevator zoomed downward. For a second, Bella thought she might be motion sick from how fast it was going.
“How far down are we?” Bella asked, feeling her heart in her throat.
“About a thousand feet underground,” Steven replied as the elevator stopped. Another button lit up, and a hallway flooded with lights.
She was amazed at the setup—so sleek and well done. How in the world did the government not know about this place? These guys had to be good about keeping their privacy.
They walked down the hallway to a door with Gerri's name. Bella blinked and glanced at Gerri.
“I travel back and forth a lot,” Gerri said at the surprise on Bella face.
Gerri turned to Steven. “Okay, darling. See you in a few weeks.”
Steven pressed a button and locked them in a room. “See you soon. Good luck with the king.”
He spoke from the other side of the door, but they were able to hear him through speakers.
Gerri snorted. “The one who needs luck is Alyx.”
Gerri pulled a small, round metal egg out of her pocket. Bella stared. There was nothing else for her to do.
Gerri whispered at the egg and let it go. It floated to the center of the room. A bright-blue glow started from the egg and grew into a giant circle. It looked like a free-standing pool of clear water.
On the other side of the water, she could see a forest in colors she’d never seen before. She blinked and stared in awe.
“Ready?” Gerri grabbed her hand and walked toward the big puddle.#p#分页标题#e#
“Um, Gerri. I'm not going to drown, am I?”
“No. It’ll feel like being in an elevator going really fast, but moving forward instead of up. No water is involved. You might get queasy, but that’s normal.” They stopped right in front of the circle. Do you get motion sickness?”
“Yes,” she said, her stomach already churning with fear.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it.”
Gerri took a step into the opening and pulled her along. Suddenly, a blast of cool air surrounded her, followed by a hard, suckling motion. She gasped, almost afraid to take a breath. Everything swirled around in high speed. Her heartbeat sped up. It was hard to get air into her lungs. Gerri continued to pull, but her legs felt weighed down by lead.
The forest zoomed in. That didn’t matter. She couldn’t get oxygen. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. It felt as if her airways had closed up. Fear clawed at her gut. She fell to her knees and yanked out of Gerri's hold, trying hard to get a breath.
The thick, airless sensation left, and she sucked in oxygen hard.