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Unparallel Worlds
“Life is like a game of chess, in which there are an infinite number of complex moves possible. The choice is open, but the move contains within itself all future moves. One is free to choose, but what follows is the result of one’s choice. From the consequences of one’s action there is never any escape.”
Shelley Smith, The Ballad of the Running Man
Chapter 1 Nowhere
‘It was a bad dream. I’ll open my eyes and I’ll be in my room,’ Aurelia said, trying to comfort herself. She could feel somebody’s hands supporting her head. ‘That’s probably my mum. She probably heard me shouting in my nightmare and she’s here to help me wake up.’
Aurelia’s mouth was dry and she was thirsty. Her whole body felt broken. She tried to move her legs but sharp pains shot through them. She attempted to open her eyes, but without success.
‘What’s the point of being immortal if I suffer so much? Why can’t I feel that I am self-healing like I usually do? Somebody, please, help stop the pain!’ And then she felt relief as she lost consciousness again.
She dreamed that something soft settled on her lips, pushing them apart, and then a sour liquid run down her throat. Aurelia started to cough and gained consciousness. This was not a dream. With her eyes still closed, she tried to sit up but bumped her head against somebody else’s. She tried again and this time opened her eyes and saw a young man, a stranger kneeling down next to her, leaning towards her, smiling.
‘Welcome back to the land of the living,’ he chuckled as if the injuries Aurelia had suffered deeply amused him.
Aurelia rubbed her eyes and once she confirmed he was real, she slapped him.
‘Why did you do that? I see you are feeling much better, probably back to your usual self.’ The stranger said a little angrily as he rubbed his flushing cheek.
‘Who are you, what have you done to me, where am I and how dare you kiss me!’ Aurelia looked around, trying to identify something she could hit him with if he decided to kiss her again. She was lying in the open in what looked like a dark sandy desert there were stones around her but none she could reach quick enough if she had to.
In one easy leopard like jump, the stranger leapt to his feet, looking down at her without making any attempt to help her sit up. ‘My father is right, people can be very unappreciative, even when you save their lives.’ Aurelia could see that the slap had upset him. ‘I gave you the kiss of life to administer the potion that would save you, but I’m already regretting it,’ the stranger said in a low voice.
Aurelia examined him. He looked about fifteen or sixteen. She stared at him with unhidden interest. He looked so different from the normal people she knew of the Empire of Light. He had pale porcelain skin, a narrow face, and his eyes were the darkest blue she had ever seen - framed with long black lashes. As Aurelia looked deeper into his eyes, she saw piercing intelligence and wisdom beyond any that someone his age should have. There were dark circles underneath his eyes as if he had not had enough sleep, and his hair, which was short and black, looked as if somebody had chopped it off in a hurry.
‘Have you had enough time to study me?’ The stranger said in amusement. Aurelia looked away from his eyes only to notice that he was half naked, Aurelia turned the colour of a ripe tomato. It was not as if she had not seen the bare chest of a man before, she had seen her brothers when they went swimming, but never a handsome stranger of almost the same age as her, standing so close.
His body was lean and muscular. He was wearing black leather trousers that ended at his calves and had bare feet despite the ground’s rough surface. He had a remarkable tattoo that extended up his right arm and half his torso. It was a phoenix, the firebird rising from the ashes. Aurelia couldn’t take her eyes off it, she had never seen something so beautiful etched on someone’s body. Her gaze followed the tattoo and it’s colours down to his waist where it disappeared under his trousers.
‘Who are you?’ she asked again, still staring at his stomach where the tattoo disappeared.
‘I hoped the first words I would hear from you would be thank you,’ the stranger snapped.
‘Then, please, tell me, what is your name so that I may thank you properly?’ Aurelia decided to be more polite. After all, whatever he had done had eased the pain significantly.
‘It’s none of your business who I am and besides in these lands curiosity can be a very dangerous thing.’ He looked to Aurelia as if he had lost interest and was about to leave.
‘I will decide, if it is a dangerous thing to know your name or not, myself. I’m not scared of anyone.’ Aurelia put on a brave face, she had said this to convince herself more than the stranger, for after all she was in a strange and unfriendly place she could not recognise.
She looked around again and thought that if the end of the world ever arrived, the last few minutes would look exactly like this...
Shelley Smith, The Ballad of the Running Man
Chapter 1 Nowhere
‘It was a bad dream. I’ll open my eyes and I’ll be in my room,’ Aurelia said, trying to comfort herself. She could feel somebody’s hands supporting her head. ‘That’s probably my mum. She probably heard me shouting in my nightmare and she’s here to help me wake up.’
Aurelia’s mouth was dry and she was thirsty. Her whole body felt broken. She tried to move her legs but sharp pains shot through them. She attempted to open her eyes, but without success.
‘What’s the point of being immortal if I suffer so much? Why can’t I feel that I am self-healing like I usually do? Somebody, please, help stop the pain!’ And then she felt relief as she lost consciousness again.
She dreamed that something soft settled on her lips, pushing them apart, and then a sour liquid run down her throat. Aurelia started to cough and gained consciousness. This was not a dream. With her eyes still closed, she tried to sit up but bumped her head against somebody else’s. She tried again and this time opened her eyes and saw a young man, a stranger kneeling down next to her, leaning towards her, smiling.
‘Welcome back to the land of the living,’ he chuckled as if the injuries Aurelia had suffered deeply amused him.
Aurelia rubbed her eyes and once she confirmed he was real, she slapped him.
‘Why did you do that? I see you are feeling much better, probably back to your usual self.’ The stranger said a little angrily as he rubbed his flushing cheek.
‘Who are you, what have you done to me, where am I and how dare you kiss me!’ Aurelia looked around, trying to identify something she could hit him with if he decided to kiss her again. She was lying in the open in what looked like a dark sandy desert there were stones around her but none she could reach quick enough if she had to.
In one easy leopard like jump, the stranger leapt to his feet, looking down at her without making any attempt to help her sit up. ‘My father is right, people can be very unappreciative, even when you save their lives.’ Aurelia could see that the slap had upset him. ‘I gave you the kiss of life to administer the potion that would save you, but I’m already regretting it,’ the stranger said in a low voice.
Aurelia examined him. He looked about fifteen or sixteen. She stared at him with unhidden interest. He looked so different from the normal people she knew of the Empire of Light. He had pale porcelain skin, a narrow face, and his eyes were the darkest blue she had ever seen - framed with long black lashes. As Aurelia looked deeper into his eyes, she saw piercing intelligence and wisdom beyond any that someone his age should have. There were dark circles underneath his eyes as if he had not had enough sleep, and his hair, which was short and black, looked as if somebody had chopped it off in a hurry.
‘Have you had enough time to study me?’ The stranger said in amusement. Aurelia looked away from his eyes only to notice that he was half naked, Aurelia turned the colour of a ripe tomato. It was not as if she had not seen the bare chest of a man before, she had seen her brothers when they went swimming, but never a handsome stranger of almost the same age as her, standing so close.
His body was lean and muscular. He was wearing black leather trousers that ended at his calves and had bare feet despite the ground’s rough surface. He had a remarkable tattoo that extended up his right arm and half his torso. It was a phoenix, the firebird rising from the ashes. Aurelia couldn’t take her eyes off it, she had never seen something so beautiful etched on someone’s body. Her gaze followed the tattoo and it’s colours down to his waist where it disappeared under his trousers.
‘Who are you?’ she asked again, still staring at his stomach where the tattoo disappeared.
‘I hoped the first words I would hear from you would be thank you,’ the stranger snapped.
‘Then, please, tell me, what is your name so that I may thank you properly?’ Aurelia decided to be more polite. After all, whatever he had done had eased the pain significantly.
‘It’s none of your business who I am and besides in these lands curiosity can be a very dangerous thing.’ He looked to Aurelia as if he had lost interest and was about to leave.
‘I will decide, if it is a dangerous thing to know your name or not, myself. I’m not scared of anyone.’ Aurelia put on a brave face, she had said this to convince herself more than the stranger, for after all she was in a strange and unfriendly place she could not recognise.
She looked around again and thought that if the end of the world ever arrived, the last few minutes would look exactly like this...
ebook
First published February 2, 2012
10 people want to read
About the author
Alisa Jeruconoka
1 book64 followersI live and create in London.
In the day I do freelance translations for large multinational corporations. This job gives me enough money and gives me the time to write, which is my biggest passion from a young age.
I love spending time with my friends and I love visiting new and inspirational places like museums, mausoleums, art galleries, ancient towns, villages and the beautiful countryside.
One day I visited a bookstore with my fourteen years old niece to choose a book and found that there was a lack of genres for her age group to read.
At a time when everyone else is writing about vampires and werewolves in the YA market (and I’m not saying that these aren’t good reads) I try to introduce the almost lost genre of otherworldly fantasy fiction to this audience. 'Unparallel Worlds' is completely different to anything else out there.
I hope that my readers really get lost in the fantasy fiction I have written, which is priceless. Also I secretly hope my book inspires the next generation of fantasy fiction authors.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 20, 2012
For any reader who is hoping to be transported to a different world, this is the book of choice. The imagination oozing from the pages of this novel is transcending. Along with the familiar creatures – werewolves, dragons, vampires – the incorporation of details in the world of Light with people who bleed gold and gain strength from the sun is what makes this fantasy original.
Picturing completely new worlds that are either bright beautiful and happy, or dark dangerous and full of monsters is the easy part of reading this novel. Deep descriptions of fictional creatures, be-jeweled dresses, and extravagant castles give images clearer than a photograph. And though the content could appeal to all ages, it is the younger demographic that are more likely inclined to enjoy this story.
Young love, standing up to authority (i.e. parents), and a focus on attire will greatly interest the young adult audience. Those themes that attract the young at heart are rooted in the folds of these pages.
Though fantasy and science fiction don’t typically overlap, the reference to mythological characters along with the incorporation of scientists (rather than someone magical, like a wizard) is what makes this book teeter in the sci-fi genre. However, the colors of fantasy far outshine those of sci-fi, since most of the book’s content cannot be explained with science.
“Unparallel Worlds” is not the same love story between vampires, angels, and humans. This book opens an original world of dual dimensions that hints to the making of a new series.
- EZRead Staffer, Amelia
Picturing completely new worlds that are either bright beautiful and happy, or dark dangerous and full of monsters is the easy part of reading this novel. Deep descriptions of fictional creatures, be-jeweled dresses, and extravagant castles give images clearer than a photograph. And though the content could appeal to all ages, it is the younger demographic that are more likely inclined to enjoy this story.
Young love, standing up to authority (i.e. parents), and a focus on attire will greatly interest the young adult audience. Those themes that attract the young at heart are rooted in the folds of these pages.
Though fantasy and science fiction don’t typically overlap, the reference to mythological characters along with the incorporation of scientists (rather than someone magical, like a wizard) is what makes this book teeter in the sci-fi genre. However, the colors of fantasy far outshine those of sci-fi, since most of the book’s content cannot be explained with science.
“Unparallel Worlds” is not the same love story between vampires, angels, and humans. This book opens an original world of dual dimensions that hints to the making of a new series.
- EZRead Staffer, Amelia
June 23, 2012
Original with an epic scale, Unparallel Worlds is one of those books that challenges the ‘rules’ and refuses to fit neatly into any genre. Set aside any preconceived ideas and learn of Alisa’s complex universe through the hopes and fears of her characters. If you like books that can be read on many levels, this has universal themes of love and family, dark and light, yet is woven through with allegorical references that can be thought provoking. Looking forward to the sequel.
January 5, 2016
I read this book a while ago and absolutely fell in love with it. Can't wait for the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews