The Secret Land of Otrâlmondé [1 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter Three

"Oh mama!"

"La vache!"

"Dios mío!"

The three exclaimed as the bright light faded and revealed a different world. Upon first sight, it looked like they happened to be in a Venetian-inspired casino. Canals slithered between rows of small shops, with cement fences lining the canal banks; a couple of gondolas glided across the canal waters and underneath cement bridges, their passengers sitting relaxedly inside; unlit lamps, looking similar to the ones used in old European cities, lined the stone streets. A closer look, however, revealed their true location. The signs hung outside the stores were written in an alien alphabet, not in English or Italian or any known human vernacular. The gondolas seemed to be rowing themselves since no gondoliers were seen navigating them. Most tellingly, the sky was not the conventional bright blue, but instead was a very pale purple. They were not on Earth.

"Where are we?" Edmond asked.

"I think we're in Otrâlmondé," Stella said.

"Otra-what?"

"Otrâlmondé. I think it's the name of this world," she told Jon. "I read it on the door."

"You can read that?" Edmond asked her, surprised.

"You can't?" she asked, equally shocked. The three of them stared at each other for a moment.

"Maybe she has superpowers," Jon said, "that is why she can read it."

"Maybe that's why she was led here," Edmond spoke, "but us? I don't have any powers I know."

"Maybe because you don't know yet—"

Whoosh. A gust of wind blew past them as a man snatched Stella's bag and made off with it. "Hey!" she shouted, as she ran after him. She galloped as fast as she could. The figure, outrunning her, began to gradually fade from her view.

Whoosh. Jon and Edmond bolted past her as they chased the thief. Seconds passed as the two pushed closer to him. Jon outstretched his arm and reached for the bag that was dangling from the thief's arm.

Fwoosh. The figure leaped towards the roof of a shop. He landed on the rooftop, smugly smirked at the three, and continued his escape. "Don't let him go!" Edmond shouted. He stepped onto the shop's lowest windowsill. He reached for the upper ledge, scaled the wall, and climbed onto the rooftop. He continued to pursue the figure as Jon and Stella tried to follow from the streets below.

The purse snatcher was already three roofs away. Edmond vaulted over the chimney, jumped towards the next building, and sprinted. The thief picked up a loose roof tile and threw it backward. He dodged it and continued to run. He lunged forward as he neared the thief.

Zap! A bolt of lightning escaped his fingertips and struck the thief mid-leap. He released the bag as he fell to the ground.

Edmond froze, his wide eyes fixed at the spot where he struck the thief. He raised his right hand. His jaw dropped when he saw smoke rising from his fingertips, and he continued to stare at it as his mind processed the revelation of his power.

"Edmond!"

Oh, right. There was still a bag to retrieve. Edmond glanced at his right side. There was a drainpipe on the right wall. He held onto the pipe as he descended from the roof and landed on the ground, then took a left turn around the corner and into an alley. The bag had fallen not far from where the man was. Upon seeing him, the thief immediately got up and scurried away from him. Edmond picked up the bag and brushed away the dust.

"Edmond!" Jon called out.

"I'm here!" he shouted. He turned right at the corner and to a small street. Jon and Stella were jogging towards him. When they saw that he had retrieved the sling bag, their eyes widened. Stella sprinted towards him and he returned the bag to her.