Lost in Another World: Finding Your Own Way

Penny woke up at 4:00 am again. At least this time it wasn't from a nightmare, she mused to herself. She crawled out of her bed and sat in the armchair she kept by the window. Watching the stars and moons reminded her of her rooftop back in Arcadia. She wrapped herself in the quilt she had bought from a lady at the town market. After four months of waking up at 4:00 am every day, Penny figured her body was just used to it now. Four months... Has it really been that long already? She had found herself referring to this place as home. It wasn’t that she didn't want to go back to her family and her boyfriend, but her heart was growing tired of hoping that they would find a way out.

She and Andrew both had started getting involved in the farm and the community in Twin Crescent, and that was probably her fault. After about a month and a half of being there and only spending time with a small group of people, she'd had a breakdown. She could still remember the look on Andrew's face when he walked in the door that day.

"Hey, Pen! I'm home! Man, that kid that Henry had me practise with for the upcoming show is straight fire!" He walked in from their small entryway. "Whoa... Pen, you've made enough baked goods to feed a small army...."

"Well, it was my first solo day off since we got here, and once I wasn't busy my mind started going places it really shouldn't, so I figured I would bake some treats for Alice and the other artist at the studio, and well, I guess I kind of let things get out of hand... Oh, Andrew! It's 5:30 and I haven't even started supper yet! I'm so sorry, I was so busy baking..." Her eyes flooded with tears.

"Hey now." Andrew quickly came over and gave her a hug. "Breath for me."

She inhaled, then felt her shoulders drop as she breathed out. The oven timer dinged, so she left Andrew's hug and pulled her last tray of goodies out of the oven.

"Look, today's Friday, the night's still young,” Andrew said. “Go wash up and put on something nice, and I'll take you out for dinner. Then tomorrow we can figure out what to do with all the goodies." He smiled softly.

She smiled back., "That sounds really nice, Andrew. Can we try dinner in the little hotel? Alice said it was her favourite spot in the village centre and I've only eaten at the bar when you’re playing." She hung up her apron. "As for the goodies, I was thinking we could take some to the staff families here? We haven't met them yet, and I want to."

Andrew had agreed with her so, after their first night out, they packaged up goodie trays to take to all the families. And just like that, they were a part of the bigger family. They helped babysit, which helped them battle some of the homesick feelings, and they were invited over for dinner. Now, there wasn't a weekend that went by where they weren't babysitting or having dinner with families. It was also thanks to the families that Penny and Andrew started taking a weekly dance class along with a parkour class to keep their fighting skills sharp, just in case. It had become the break they often needed, and it was something that felt familiar to them, like a touch of Arcadia.

A woman named Jennifer had taken Penny under her wing. She was the wife of the farm farrier. The women bonded over a love of cooking and baking. Jennifer had been the one to suggest to Penny that if her nightmares were waking her up, she might as well just get up and start her day. After that Penny planned on being out of the house in time to greet the workers as they did their early morning chores. Sometimes she'd go and help hand out tea and coffee, other times she visited the stable workers. Once she had done her rounds, she'd go have morning tea with Jennifer on her front porch until her husband came in for breakfast. Then Penny would return to her home and make breakfast for her and Andrew. Sometimes Andrew joined her but not often; his club and theatre gigs required later nights, so often ate later while she was at work.

Penny’s alarm went off, pulling her from her thoughts. She smiled and turned it off. Stepping into her bathroom, she washed her face and braided her hair in a way that still hid the bruise on her ear. Then she slipped into her farm clothes. She was grateful for the wool cape Alice had given her as a welcome gift, as it had cooled off a lot since she and Andrew had arrived. Betty had also helped her find a pair of lace-up boots to wear around the farm. She wondered if the cooler weather there would bring snow. Does it snow here? Penny would have to ask someone about that.

She quietly left the house and watched the sun rise the rest of the way. Today would be a good day.

***

The day was good. Alice had explained the seasons of Twin Crescent, and turned out they had the same seasons as earth; only some of the names were different and the whole planet was on one weather system. They also didn’t get much snow; however, for about two weeks every winter they got a hefty snowfall just in time for the sun and the two moons to all line up for their Christmas-like holiday.

This conversation inspired Penny; she spent that afternoon brainstorming in the studio. The Harvest season was coming up, so she was looking at the colours that reminded her of Fall back in Arcadia. She had an idea for a new set of photos to catch the changing of the season; in Arcadia, she had done more photography with people, but here in Twin Crescent she had so much fun with the colours of the sky and nature and catching the beauty of this new world. But as she made more friends, she found herself getting back into photos that told stories.

She looked at the clock; it was almost dinner time. Using her wristband, she sent Andrew a message. It took some getting used to, but she liked the simple form of texting.

Hey Andy! Rather than going home before dance class would you like to have a picnic in the park? I can grab food from the Market…I'm basically done at the studio.

Penny, I don't have my dance clothes! Otherwise, I'd be so down!

You know how I packed your lunch today? I placed your dance clothes in the box of your bike. :)

Pen! You sneaky girl you! You had this plan all day! Alright, meet you at the park by the pond? In 35?

Love it, see you soon!

She hopped on her electric bike, zipped through the crowds of people and found her way to the Market. She loved this place, and she would be interested to have a booth for her baking every now and then, but she and Andrew were trying to keep a balance between being involved and uninvolved.

She found her way to her favourite food vendor, then selected a meal choice and some of the vendor's famous lemonade. With her goodies in hand, she hopped on her bike and headed to their favourite spot at the park. She set up a picnic blanket and made herself comfortable.

While she waited for Andrew she pulled out her camera. Just like before, she again had two cameras - one bigger and one smaller. She pointed her lens at some berries hanging on a dying branch; it was an amazing contrast of colours.

She had been so in the zone looking at the photos she’d just taken, that she hadn't heard Andrew walk up. Suddenly, he placed his hands over her eyes and whispered, "Guess who?"

Penny jumped. "Andrew!" She turned and hit his arm. "You scared me!"

He toppled over laughing. "Sorry, Pen! But you make it too easy." He sat next to her and stole her camera, looking through the photos. "Ohh, what's this?"

She pointed to the dying berry bush. "With the season changing, I thought the colour contrast might be nice for a new set of photos. I got inspired at the studio today, and then while I was waiting for you I saw that bush and just had to take a few test shots.”

"So that you can get a better idea for a fall colour palette." Andrew smiled at her.

"Yes! Exact... Hey! You have been listening to me! You really do listen when I ramble on about picture stuff!" She looked at him, impressed.

Andrew chuckled and handed her back her camera. "Of course, Pen! I love watching your passion grow!"

Penny giggled and shut off her camera, then pulled out the supper she’d bought. Andrew's eyes lit up. Penny glanced at the bruise on his wrist. "Hey Andrew, do you know how long it's been?"

"We've got to be at…what, three months now?" He happily unwrapped his sandwich.

"Four months today." She didn't look up.

"Oh... Wow, time sure is flying, eh?" He put down his sandwich.

"Yeah... Andrew, do you ever get tired of waiting? Do you ever wish we could just fully commit to life here?" She glanced up at him; she knew she was asking a lot. He would know what she was implying. She nibbled on her sandwich, waiting.

He fidgeted, not looking at her. His voice was soft, and she almost couldn't hear him. "Am I a bad person if I say yes?"

"Only if I am too." She set her sandwich down. "I know that we would both go back to Arcadia in a heartbeat if we could. And I miss Trevor like crazy, I miss my parents, I want to see Sophie... But… I like it here. And I want to take part in it." She tried to keep her voice soft.

"Oh Pen, I thought it was just me." He gave her a side hug.

A tear ran down her cheek. "What about Trevor and Sophie?" She wiped the tears away.

"Well, I guess we have to believe that their timeline is running like ours." He took a swig of his juice.

She paused for a moment and sighed. "Think with Sophie’s help Trevor could get out of his mother's control?"

"Oh man, I hope so. Seeing Sophie lose it on that woman would be hilarious!" Andrew laughed out loud and Penny joined in.

They ate in peaceful silence for a while, then she looked over at Andrew. "Hey, Andrew?" He looked over at her. "I know this is going to sound mean, but I'm glad that it's you here with me."

"Don't you wish it was Trevor?" He cocked his head.

"Well at first I did, but Trevor is reckless. It's why he has the Element Water - he acts on impulse, without the worry of the damage it does. His water and ice do the least amount of damage out of all the elements. He, like the water, can just go with the flow because his team keeps him in check." She sighed "Even when he's not in his mask, Trevor acts without thinking and follows blindly." She giggled. "But I do love him."

"What about Sophie?" Andrew knew how close the two girls were.

Penny giggled. "She holds the Element Wind; she is quick, thinks on her feet, but also acts on impulse, and is also stubborn. She fights for everyone but doesn't always think about her actions, and she sometimes, like the wind pushes, too hard and ends up hurting those she doesn’t mean to."

Andrew chuckled. "Yeah… okay, you’re right."

"Don't get me wrong, they are great teammates and even better partners, but..." She picked at her cookie, feeling a little bad.

"There is a reason they aren't the team leaders. But I'm not a leader either, Pen."

She stared at him. "You’re kidding, right....?"

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Andrew…so, you might not be in charge like me, but you are the team's protector; you keep us safe, and you stay calm, cool and collected in battle. You and I have the Elements we have because we can keep a level head no matter how messed up things get.” She smiled. “So, I am glad that we are here together even if it means lots of grief.”

"You think too highly of me, Pen." Andrew smiled and shook his head, then started to help clean up. "But I'm glad that you're here with me too." She smiled brightly at him, and he stood and offered her his arm. "To dance class?"

Penny smiled and nodded. "To dance class." She took his arm, and as they walked through the park back to their bikes, she thought to herself, Today has been good.