Lost in Another World: Is this Paradise?

Andrew was grateful for the extra few hours Penny had given him. She had woken him up, and then he showered and got himself ready for the day. Once they were both ready they wandered back toward the foyer where they had been greeted the night before.

Thankfully Jonathan found them before they got too lost. "Ah! You're awake, wonderful! I was just coming up to find you. Betty is just putting the finishing touches on breakfast."

"Do the families eat with you?" Penny followed him into the rather large kitchen.

"About once a month, Deary,” Betty called from the stove. “Those who are gifted in the kitchen come in and we make a big breakfast for all the staff and their families."

"Oh, that's neat! Otherwise, the families fend for themselves?" Andrew thought that was nice - the idea of everyone gathering for a meal together.

"Some of them eat together; it's kind of up to them and depends on what chores they have." Jonathan smiled. "We can show you around the farm and give you more details later, I'm sure you have other questions."

"Jonathan, can you tell us how this place is different than ours?” Andrew's curiosity had been eating him. “I'm sure we can figure out the similarities."

"Well, we actually don’t know how different we are; we only know what the earthers tell us of their world, and every time things are different.” Jonathan handed them each a small box. “We got you each a wristband that can be used to send messages to each other and anyone else you add. Betty and I already added our numbers so you can reach us."

“Oh, thank you.” Penny and Andrew took them and looked at them, intrigued.

“When we take you into town, you’ll notice that most people get around by either pedal or electronic bike, some use horses,” Betty spoke from the stove; it was funny for Andrew to watch Penny stay seated and not get up and help her. “We also have the solar train if we have to travel to one of the other districts.”

Andrew and Penny shared a look; this world was so different than the one they knew. It sounded amazing, surely it couldn’t be this perfect?

"The earthers who have come in the past have helped us make changes to our world, so we can use some of the things from your world, like some of the technology and modern conveniences you’d be used to," Betty continued.

"Oh, I forgot one of the biggest changes!” Jonathan chimed in. “Our planet only has one landmass on it. It's also very small. You can travel the whole thing in about three days by solar train. Less if you’re only going to one place and back. We could arrange for Alice and Henry to take you on a tour. They're a lovely couple who I'm sure will be great friends for you both." Jonathan smiled.

"Three days? That's it!" Penny looked at him, dumbstruck.

"A tour would be great!” Andrew added. “So…if it's one landmass, does that mean it’s all one country?" He was shocked - it seemed almost like a little pocket planet.

"Pretty much. It feels more like one community - there is the village centre that has all the amenities, and from there the train will take you to the beachfront community, the mountain range, or the farming district." Betty finally brought the food and joined the group at the table. Once everyone was dished up and eating, an audible sigh was from Andrew and Penny - Betty was an amazing cook.

Andrew watched Pen while they ate. She seemed to be doing much better after their talk this morning, and now he felt uneasy. Well, uneasy might be the wrong word, but this place seemed to be too good to be true. And Arcadia needed him; he was a hero and that came first, so he couldn’t get too comfortable. He would fight as long as Pen did; after all, she was his team leader.

"Oh, Pen and I were wondering…we told you last night, we haven’t graduated yet - will that be a problem?” Andrew was sitting next to Jonathan at the table, with Penny across from him.

"Well, not really. You could take a work assessment test if you’d like, but we don't tend to expect the earthers to go to our school system… We usually just help them find work - if they would like, that is." Jonathan smiled at them.

"We both are keen to take some time off, but we also both like to be busy. I’ve been working as a Photographer on the side for a while, and Andy is an amazing pianist; he also composes music!" Pen beamed with pride at him. "Andrew was quite a big deal to have at a party. If you like piano music, that is."

"Ah! Well, in that case, we can help you find gigs to keep you busy if you’d like! Vikki’s been doing a jazz night at the club - you might be able to get on rotation there. Or some of the bands might need a piano player. Alice runs a gallery for local artists, so you could get a slot in there. Oh! And Henry needs a new composer/pianist at the theatre." Jonathan's eyes lit up, his mind full of ideas.

After a moment of silence, Betty spoke. "There is another big difference that we need to talk about with you two."

"Okay…?" Andrew couldn’t help but be curious now.

“In your world, the idea of soulmates exists only in stories, yes?” Betty asked, and both of them nodded. “Well here, it’s a real thing…kinda.”

“What do you mean?” Penny asked.

“Each person has a name that only their true partner will be able to unlock. And when you find your partner and they discover your name, you will be able to communicate telepathically.” Jonathan smiled at Betty like they were sharing a secret.

“You two have unlocked this name, haven’t you?” Penny giggled slightly.

“We have.” Betty smiled softly at Jonathan. “We call them soul names.”

“How did it happen?” Andrew asked. He and Penny had so many nicknames for each other - what if they had soul names? Could they unlock them while being in love with someone else?

“I grew up on the farm and Betty lived in the mountain range. I would bring our trade goods to the market, and she would be buying goods for her family. We would see each other often and we became friends over time… I took her to a few balls and a banquet or two. Then we started dating, taking the risk that we wouldn’t be the ones to unlock each other’s names,” Jonathan explained.

“However, my family wasn’t pleased with my choice of “a farmboy” as they called him. But I loved him, and he was determined to impress my family…so one day he came riding up to my house on a perfect white horse, declaring his love for me, and I ran out to him, telling him he was My Knight.”

“And I called her My Lady, and just like that we were bonded. Her parents, knowing we were each other's true partners, eventually accepted me.” Jonathan ended the story with a smile, taking Betty’s hand.

"Whoa, how romantic." Pen sighed. “Why didn’t they like you? Was it really because you come from the farm?”

Betty laughed. “No, not really, they just believed I should only be with my true partner, but Jonny and I weren’t worried about that. Some people never find their true partner.”

“And some find it between friends, and they just choose to stay friends and learn to control how they use this skill of communicating,” Jonathan explained, “It’s like a muscle - the more you use the telepathy, the stronger it gets the less you use it, well, the weaker it becomes.”

“Could we have sole names?” Andrew couldn’t think of a world where Sophie wasn’t his true partner or a world where Penny and Trevor weren’t together.

"Not all earthers have soul names, but it has happened before." Jonathan looked at them closely. “I know you have partners, but in your world, even if you find that you have soul names, it doesn’t mean you have to fall in love.”

Both Penny and Andrew let out a sigh; neither of them were ready to think of what it really meant to never leave here. Would they lose their love for Sophie and Trevor? What would happen to them? Those were thoughts for another day.

"Now that that’s taken care of..." Betty stood and started cleaning up. "You two need a place of your own. I assume you want to stay together?" They nodded. "Well we have a cute little townhouse, it has two bedrooms and a basement that would do well for both of you to set up spaces for your hobbies. Jonathan can give you a tour of the homestead. Then you two can see the townhouse and give us a list of new things you want. We will get them for you while you go on a tour of the island. How does that sound?"

"As long as the first stop on the tour is a boutique - we need clothes that are ours, not taken from your guest room." Andrew laughed.

"Ah yes, we will take you in today and help you find clothes. But first, a tour of your new home!" Jonathan smiled at them both.

Andrew looked over at Pen and offered her a hand. They could do this, together.

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