Drop

THUMP!

“Oh, dear, that look like it hurt” Jasper said.

The lump on the floor groaned and rolled over. “I’m never drinkin’ that much ever again,” it mumbled, it’s voice feminine. “And I blame Talon for letting me drink this much.”

“Um, excuse me? Miss?” Alex prodded her gently.

“Piss off Vince before I castrate you,” she said, a pale hand slapping his offending hand away. The two young men whispered quietly for a moment. They were going to be in such trouble! Headmaster Michel had rules against this kind of experiment.

With an exasperated sigh, the girl turned over. “Great Merlin’s knickers!” she exclaimed when she saw them, scrambling backwards as fast as she could. “Who the fuck are you two and where the fuck am I?”

Alex looked intrigued while Jasper looked anxious.

The girl was really a young woman, looking about 19. Her curvaceous shape was flattered by the strange skin-tight blue trousers and white shirt she wore. Her feet were bare, showing perfectly manicured red toenails that matched her manicured fingernails. Long jet black hair with bright green streaks hung straight down to her waist. Heavily lashed dark green eyes stared out from behind small, black, rectangular glasses. Her skin was splattered with freckles, many on her small nose.

As they studied her, she studied them. Both were the same height, about 6 foot, and appeared to be about 23 years old.

One had short, scarlet red hair and was lightly tanned. Hazel eyes peeked out from a heavy flop of bangs. His nose was rather long and thin, like his hands. He wore black cotton pants and a loose white shirt under a white surcoat. Although he appeared to be well built, his face was youthful, not quite masculine in its features.

The other was dressed similarly. His platinum blonde hair was short and looked as though he had been running his fingers thru it frustratingly, giving it a rather spiky appearance. Baby blue eyes were slightly magnified by the small round glasses perched on his pale nose.

The young woman took a calming breath. “Ok, somebody had better start talking. Where am I? The last thing I remember was passing out in my hammock in Vince’s backyard.”

Jasper cleared his throat nervously. “Um, well, you’re in the castle of our Master, Michel. The labs to be exact.”

“What tha fuck? Castle? I think I’m gonna regret asking, but what year is it?”

“Eoinsday, Verlin 29, 313 C.A.” Alex supplied.

“C.A.?”

“Chaim’s Age. That’s how many years it’s been since the great mage Chaim cast the immortals out,” Jasper told her.

“Immortals?” She looked completely lost.

“Yes, you know, vampires, werewolves, dragons, unicorns, centaurs, trolls, gargoyles. Pegasii… those sort of things.”

“String theory,” she muttered and, without warning, her eyes rolled up in her head and she hit the floor in a dead faint.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“She smells really nice,” someone whispered. It sounded like the red head.

“Quit smelling her and help me figure-” the voice paused mid-sentence. “I think she’s coming around.”

Avril groaned. At least this time I woke up on something soft, she thought. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal two faces leaning over her, staring at her intently, both of which jerked back when they saw she had come to.

“Dude, that totally sucked,” she muttered.

“What’s a dude?” Red asked.

“Erm… I don’t really know how to explain what one is,” Avril said, sitting up. She was on a small bed in a stone room. There was another bed in the room, along with the two wooden chairs the boys where sitting on, two wardrobes and two desk.

“Where are you from?” Blondie wanted to know.

“America originally, but I travel a lot.”

“Where’s America?” Red again.

“You know, the United States of America? Land of the Free?”

“Land of the Free? Everyone is free, it’s our gods given right. Slavery is illegal everywhere except Mesmures.”

Avril closed her eyes and sighed. “I don’t even wanna know.” She opened her eyes and stared at the two men. “I’m Avril, by the way. Avril Redawn”

“Jasper of Proges, from Oddosh,” the red head told her.

“Alex of Nickal, from Brenna.”

“Please to metcha.”

“Redawn?” Alex asked.

“Got a problem with it?”

“No.”

“Didn’t think so.”

They sat just looking at each other in silence for a few minutes.

“It’s odd that ya’ll can speak perfect English,” Avril commented. “And that ya’ll sound British.”

“I was just thinking the same about you speaking Common,” Jasper told her. “And sounding Mesmuriean.”

“What’s ‘English?’” Alex asked. “And ‘British?’”

“Erm…” Once again, she was at a loss for words. “Well, it’s the native language where I’m from. And British is the accent of the peoples of… erm… England…”

“And you’re from America?”

“Yep. Texas, to be exact.”

Silence again.

“Reh touba od ot gniog ew era tahw?” Alex asked.

“What?”

“Not you. I was talking to Jasper,” Alex said.

Avril narrowed her eyes again. “It’s not nice to speak in a foreign language.”

“Ecin ton s’efil,” Alex retorted, smiling sweetly, showing white teeth.

“Xela, hguone,” Jasper said. “Loohcs eht ni reh llorne dluoc ew ebyam… Reh htiw od ot tahw rof sa?”

“Retsamdaeh eht llet ew dlouw thaw tub?”

“Stif tnecca reh, lla retfa. Serumsem morf tneduts wen a s’ehs taht yas tsuj ew. Elpmis.”

“Lrig a rof. Hguone trams smees ehs tsael ta, llew. Ereh llew od lliw ehs kniht I. Nalp a ekil sdnuos.”

“Get bent,” Avril said.

They both looked at her, surprised. “You can speak New Fae?” Jasper asked.

“Sloof uoy drah taht ton s’ti,” Avril told them in perfect New Fae.

“Wow, that’s amazing! How do you know New Fae?” Alex asked, all chauvinism forgotten for the moment.

“I have special powers,” Avril told them, her blood red lips curling into a smirk.

Alex looked skeptical now. “Sure you do.”

“Well, where I come from, not many people can see the future. Or move things with their mind. Or talk to any species of animal.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “The future bit is actually pretty common here. And some people can speak with animals. However, it’s very rare for someone to be able to move things with their mind. I don’t believe that bit.”

“To tell the truth, I don’t give a damn if you believe me or not.”

“Prove it.”

Avril sighed exasperatingly. “Prove what?”

“Prove that you can move something with your mind.”

Jasper sighed. Alex could be so chauvinistic. “Alex, leave her be.”

“No, she says she can do it. I want to see.”

Avril glared at the blonde. “Unfortunately, hangovers are quite common where I come from. It affects my mind. And dropping into an alternate universe isn’t the funnest thing to do either.” She sighed again and brought her knees up, her arms circling her legs. “Now what’s this about a school?”

“Brenna University,” Jasper supplied.

“Yea? Is that were we’re at right now? You room at the university?”

“Yes, it’s mine and Alex’s. Would you like to study here with us at the school?” Jasper asked.

Avril looked thoughtful. “No, I really don’t think I can. I need to get back to my own… er… universe. Back to where people dress normal,” she nodded at their clothes. “Plus, there’s my job, Vince, my laptop. My life.”

Both looked down, then at each other, then back to her. “Our clothes are normal. You are the one who is dressed oddly,” Alex commented. “By the by, what are you wearing?”

“A wife beater and blue jeans, duh.”

“And who is this ‘Vince?’ Is he your husband? Or your lover?” Alex continued.

“Alex! It is rude to ask such questions!” Jasper admonished.

“No, it’s ok, Jasper,” Avril said. “Vince isn’t my husband or lover,” she spat out the word, mocking him. “Vince is my best friend. And he’s gay.”

A look of confusion flinted across Alex’s baby blue eyes. “Gay? He’s happy?”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “You could say that,” she muttered inaudibly. “No, what I meant was that he prefers other men,” she said louder, so that they would hear.

Understanding dawned.

Avril rolled her eyes again. “Ok, maybe you guys could tell me exactly how it is that I came to be… here.”

Both looked guilty. Jasper cleared his throat. “Well, we were trying to do an experiment”

“to see if we could create a potion”

“that affected time”

“but instead, it seems we created a potion”

“that transports people here from a different universe.”

Avril looked from one guy to the other. “Ya’ll rehearsed this, didn’t you?”

“Not really.”

Suddenly, there was a loud squeal that caused all of them to jump. Avril reached up the bottom of her pants saying, “I’m sorry Tneloiv! It’s not my fault!” She pulled her hand out, revealing a gray dust ball. She gently stroked it.

“What is that?” Alex asked.

“A dust bunny, duh.”

“As in a bunny made of real dust?” Jasper wanted to know.

“Yep. I know a guy who knows a guy who makes them. Simple procedure, I hear.”

Jasper nodded but Alex asked, “Tneloiv? Is that not ‘violent’ spelt backwards?”

“Yup.”

“Odd name for a dust bunny.”

“Get bent.”

“Back to the original subject,” Jasper said loudly before Alex could reply. “Now, theoretically, if we reversed the experiment, we could send you back to your world. Theoretically.”

Avril was silent, a glazed look in her eyes.

“She’s not breathing,” Alex whispered.

They both leaned in close. Suddenly, her eyes lost their glazed look and she let out a small scream, startled to see two faces so close to her own. Alex and Jasper jerked back, Alex’s head hitting Jasper’s nose accidentally, causing it to start bleeding.

After several moments, during which Alex stood up and left, a still-shocked Avril managed to say, “Great Merlin’s knobblies! What were you two doing?!?”

Jasper’s voice came out somewhat nasally due to the fact that he was pinching his nostrils, “You’re eyes glazed over and you didn’t appear to be breathing. I was leaning in to check your breathing. Who knows what Alex was doing.”

Alex returned, carrying two bottles, just in time to hear his name. “What about me?” He handed one bottle to Jasper and drank the other one.

Jasper downed his own and sighed. Slowly, he moved his hand off his nose. The blood had stopped flowing. “Oh, I think it’s broken.” There was a small pop! “Ouch. Yes, it was broken.” He placed his hand over his nose, cup-like, and mumbled a few words. The blood disappeared, leaving no sign that he had been injured at all.

“What did you do that?”

Jasper smiled, showing his own set of pearly whites. “You’re not the only one with special powers,” was all he said.

“Now, what happened to you?” Alex wanted to know.

“What?” She had been staring at Jasper’s nose, where not even a bruise remained. Alex repeated his question, sounding thoroughly put out. “Oh, I had a vision.”

“About…”

Avril rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to do the experiment backwards. The residue from the original one left a sort of portal between our worlds. All we have to do is wait for the right time and then whoosh, I can go home.”

“Whoosh?” Alex snickered.

“That’s the best way I can describe it.”

“When is the ‘right time’ going to be?” Jasper asked.

Avril looked thoughtful. “Three minutes.”

“Well, let’s get you back to the lab, then,” Alex said, standing up.

“So anxious to see me gone?”

“Quite.”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The walk back to the labs was short and silent. Jasper was very interested in Avril’s culture and had to refrain from asking her questions. Alex was already annoyed by the impudent girl’s back talking and wanted her to go away. Avril just wanted to slap Alex.

Up a corridor, down a short flight of steps, around the corner and there they were. All in all, it took only took about two minutes.

Avril walked forward to where she thought she had ‘landed,’ checked her still working watch, noting that there was still a minute left, and looked back at Jasper and Alex. “Well boys, it’s been real.”

Again, they were confused. “Real what?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Real fun.”

Thirty seconds to go.

“Don’t forget to write.”

“How?” Jasper asked.

Again, a smile. This one was a bit bigger and they could see her own teeth, though white, were slightly crooked. “Never mind.”

Fifteen seconds.

“Alex.”

“Yes?”

“Get bent.”

Alex took the semi-insult and didn’t reply.

Three… two… one…

Whoosh!

A/N: So, tell me what you think. Come on, ya know ya wanna...