Lost in Another World: A New Day Dawns

Penny woke up to the sound of a door softly closing. A moment later, light peaked around the door frame of the bathroom. She rolled over and looked at the clock|; 4:30 am. She should go back to sleep; she was definitely still tired enough for it. But her eyes burned, and her head kind of hurt. That's what you get for crying yourself to sleep, she reminded herself. Feeling suddenly restless, she got up and walked to the window. Pulling open the curtain, she gazed at the two moons hanging high in the sky. Their light almost felt soothing to her eyes. She let out a deep breath and wrapped her arms around her chest, her mind racing with all the things she and Andrew would have to deal with.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when Andrew's arms wrapped around her and he placed a cup and a small pill in front of her on the window sill. "I figured your head might hurt as much as mine. And they have everything in that bathroom." He chuckled lightly. "Want to go back to bed?"

"I don't think I can…. Do you think we can sit and make a plan?" She leaned against the cool window before taking the pill and draining the glass of water.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He took a step back, giving her room to turn and look at him. "Floor or bed?" he asked.

"Lean against the bed? Beds are for resting, not serious conversations." She grabbed a pillow and sat on the floor.

"Ah, so you're the one who gave Sophie that idea." He laughed. "I should have known."

"It was one Trevor gave me, actually." She let out a sad sigh and waited for Andrew to get comfortable on the floor. However, he didn't sit right away. First, he went and grabbed the tray of snacks brought to them before.

"We haven't eaten since we got here, and I'm guessing breakfast isn't for a while around here."

Her stomach rumbled, so they both grabbed something to munch on.

"Well, I’ll start by saying this: I would like to have our own space rather than staying in a house full of people, regardless of how long we are here."

Penny spoke slowly. "Well, I think the idea of living together makes me feel safer." She paused. "I think whatever plan we make, it has to work for both for the short term and set us up for the long term."

"Yeah, I think that makes sense.” Andrew sighed. “As much as I don't want to admit it, it does seem unlikely we will get to go back…but I want to have hope." He gave her a sad smile.

"Hope is such a cruel gift." She sighed heavily. "Always waiting for something that may never come, but unable to let go of the idea."

Andrew moved closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know Pen, but we will get through this together." He leaned back again, his hand moving to his lap and fidgeting with a wrapper from the snack tray. "Okay, so we find somewhere that we can stay together…I assume you’re going to want to be able to cook, and I really don't want someone else to clean for me."

"I'm glad you agree." She smiled. "I don't think I could spend six months doing nothing. Maybe take some time off to rest and get to know the area better, but then find some kind of work."

"I've been working the freelance grind, so doing nothing isn't really in my wheelhouse. We are still high school students though; maybe we’ll need to do some kinda school….” He looked over to the window - not that he wanted to go back to school.

"Think we can find jobs with our passions here?" Penny hated how weak her voice sounded, but she had to admit this was a lot.

"I know the architecture is old school, but looking around even this room, it seems they have the modern amenities we are used to, so I'm sure we can, Ros...Pen." He sighed. "Sorry, I bet we don't want to use superhero nicknames right now."

"It's hard not to, eh? We've been using Rose and Spark both in and out of the suits for the past few years." She smiled as she thought for a moment of their friendship over the years.

"We could pick new ones? You know, to replace those?" Andrew played with a loose thread on the pillow.

"Maybe we could save that for six months? Just avoid using them for now?" Penny paused, making sure they were on the same page, he nodded, "So, we find out if we can work with our passions and get a space that is our own. Anything else we need to plan?" Penny looked over at the clock and found that it was 5:30. The sun was starting to rise in the sky, and the colours were lovely. She quickly rose and ran to the window. “Andrew, look!"

He followed her, and they stood together watching; the room seemed to be facing the homestead, and Andrew pointed down to what they both could see. "I would guess that these are the people who work for us?" They both took note of the style of clothes, a modern Victorian style - something that Sophie would have loved to sew. Trevor would have been inspired by all kinds of stories to tell.

"Early morning farm chores." Penny smiled softly. "It doesn't look like they have gas power farm tools - look at the size of the stable." She slowly opened the window, and the smell of the farm hit them both, along with the sounds of horses. As city kids, this seemed almost exciting. They watched the movement for a bit longer until people seemed to be settled at their jobs for the morning. "Think if we got ready for the day, Betty would let me help make breakfast?"

"I'm guessing not, but maybe if Jonathan is around we can get more information about this place?" Andrew laughed. "Let's see what we can find for us to wear because I think our street clothes might just stick out a bit." He chuckled.

"I'm sure we can find clothes that feel like us but match the style.” She smiled. Sophie had helped her learn a lot about fashion and how to dress in the way that made you feel your best.

"I like that idea. It could be fun to reinvent ourselves like characters from one of Trevor’s stories."

They both went and rummaged through the drawers, quickly finding clothes that seemed like a good fit.

"Mind if I shower first?" When Andrew nodded, Penny slipped into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror; her eyes were bloodshot and her hair frazzled, and she had clear tear lines on her face. She shook her head; only Andy would not care to mention to her how unkempt she looked. Snooping around the bathroom, she found a hair tie hidden in a drawer and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Then she finally got to look at where her ear cuff used to sit. It looked like Andy’s mark had, black with an almost silver tint. She lightly touched the bruise and inhaled sharply. Yep, they burned. She now understood Andrew's reaction to her touching his bruise. After staring at herself for a moment, she stepped into the shower and let the hot water wash away her stress.

She slipped on her new outfit and fell in love with how soft the fabric was. "Oh! This is lovely." She spun around, enjoying the silhouette it gave her. Why had she not worn more skirts in Arcadia? She wandered out of the bathroom and saw Andrew lying back on the bed, quietly napping. She looked at the clock; she'd let the boy sleep. After all, he'd been her hero last night - she could give him a few more hours of rest. Penny curled up on the sofa and watched the sun continue to rise.