Story Chapter Eight
Another Dimension
The hospital provided Chloe with sunshades right before she was to leave, and as they walked towards a wall leading to the outside Chloe thought, I do not see a door and then as if by magic when they were walking the wall opened up and they were outside in fresh air. It was good to feel a little sunshine, and they told her to put on her sunshades. Chloe remembered that she needed to keep sunshades on, and as she looked around, she could tell she was outside, but there was something different, something a bit strange about the daylight. They walked over to a clear area and walkway in front of the building and there were symbols painted on the concrete, and just as Chloe was about to ask what the symbols meant, Dr. John came over and said, "I just wanted to see you, and to tell you to trust me everything, is going to be fine." He handed her a little object, it looked almost as she remembered her grandfather having a cigarette lighter, but people did not use those anymore. When he handed it to her he said, "If you need me you can use this to get in touch with me," she took it from him, but she had no idea how this small box could provide her a means to communicate with Dr. John. As quickly as he had arrived, he left Chloe holding this object in her hand that she had no idea how to use. Then to her amazement there was a humming sound, and something similar to a car floated down from somewhere out of the sky in front of them, and she was ushered into lush seats almost in a circle and as they sat down a mechanical voice spoke, "Please make yourselves comfortable. The estimated time of arrival is three minutes and fifteen seconds." She heard a very slight humming noise and had the sensation for a second of movement, and then everything was still. By the time, Chloe had looked around at the inside of this strange vehicle that she was in; a mechanical voice sounded once again "Prepare to depart, twenty seconds." In twenty seconds as if by magic, the side of the vehicle opened up and they were at what appeared to be the rooftop of a building. Chloe could see majestic structures that looked like they reached way up into the sky and then there were objects that may be more of these same vehicles that would go dotting back and forth about the sky, and the sky had a bit of a red hue. Chloe was ushered into an area of a building that felt like it was still outside but it was not. Then she felt movement, but yet it was very subtle and in a couple of seconds, it seemed as if the room collapsed around her and then she was in a big hallway where she led down a hallway. She noticed that the hallway had a number on it, 252525 and as they walked approximately every thirty feet there was more numbers 252525-01 and then 252525-02 and it continued. Chloe wandered what the numbers were on the wall. On their way along a long corridor, that there was not any sign of an entrance, and then Liz stopped at the number 525252-327. As they approached that number, the wall opened up into an apartment where she would be living. It was spacious and had some similarities to what she would expect in an apartment. Chloe wondered if she would ever get used to walking through the wall because she still did not see a door anywhere! Then she wondered if this apartment had any windows? The girls that had helped her when she went to see Dr. Rassin had been in the vehicle, and they told Chloe goodbye and told Liz to call them later. Liz walked over to Chloe and said did you remember that I would be staying with you as long as you need me. Please call on me anytime during the night or the day, and understand that you will not be bothering me, I'm here for you, and if I don't have the answer for you I'll get the answer, or find somebody that can give you the best answer that we have. Chloe managed to get the words out, "Thank you," and then she asked," Where is the restroom." Liz took her over and showed her where the restroom was and once again there was no door, but once either one of them got close to where a door should be the wall opened up. However, there on the other wall was a very large window; Chloe was pleased to see a window. Chloe went into the bathroom and it was very different. She surveyed the bathroom and in a minute, she discovered where the faucet was, but she did not see any way to cut it on, but when she got her hands over near the faucet a purple light came on and the water flowed. She had no idea where the light came from. It was awkward and very different; it would take some getting used too. Chloe managed to stumble through her experience in the bathroom and walked towards where she thought the door should be and lo and behold, the wall opened up, and she walked out of the restroom. Liz showed Chloe around and pointed out some of the features that she felt like Chloe would find very different from what she was used too, and promised her that there was nothing she could do that would get her into trouble or that would hurt her. Chloe thought that the apartment was nicer than she expected. Chloe's next experience was when Liz prepared them something to eat. She just talked to the wall in another part of the room, where there was a table and some chairs. She told the computer that she would take some broiled fish and a salad, and then she asked Chloe what she would like. Chloe was almost speechless at that point and she said, "I would like a hamburger, French fries, and milkshake." The wall responded by saying that it did not have the availability of French fries but it would be glad to fix a hamburger and would she like tomato sauce, mayonnaise, and mustard? Chloe moved closer to the wall until the wall spoke again, and asked her by name if there was something that she would like. Chloe halfway reached out to the computer generated voice and said," No, thank you," to which she was told, "You are welcome." Chloe observed that the food was palatable and that it reminded her of frozen dinners, and it would take Chloe some getting use too. Talking to the wall computer, when you wanted something to eat was going to be very different. After they finished eating, Liz pushed everything to the middle of the table and said some command that Chloe did not hear clearly, and the table opened in the middle. It almost appeared as if the table melted and then formed back into a perfect table, and all the leftovers, the utensils and the plates were gone and the table was spotless, clean and then there was that purple light again. Chloe looked at Liz, and exclaimed, "That is neat, but what is the purple light?" Liz said that the purple light sanitizes everything and kills all the germs. Nobody could detect how very much Chloe was taken aback by her accommodations and she was in a land of amazing things. Liz asked Chloe if you would like to see the rest of the apartment building and Chloe replied, "No, but she would like to see more of her apartment." Liz said, "Ok and we will take a virtual tour of the city, and we won't have to leave the apartment." Chloe raised her eyebrows, and Liz gave instructions to another part of the wall and it began to change color and then the sound came, she assumed from speakers somewhere in the apartment that Chloe would now call her home. The city described was the new Atlantis, and it was part of the country called Amozia. It was almost as if Chloe was watching a science fiction movie. She sat there in utter astonishment and felt like she needed to pinch herself because this was stretching her imagination to the limits. Chloe was still struggling about what made her food was similar to a computer and jet printer like the one she had back in Nassau! It was amazing what Liz said they are able to "print" in this dimension. Can you really print food? Chloe and been very engrossed in watching the information that was being presented on her wall like a movie screen, and she turned her head towards where Liz was sitting to ask her a question and realized that Liz was not there. She called Liz's name and Liz appeared right where Chloe was looking, but she had not been there. Chloe was startled and Liz quickly told her not to be startled that the video system had projected her image to where she had been sitting. Chloe managed to mumble, "How in the world can this be possible." Liz smiled and said to Chloe, "You are in another dimension, and there are a lot of things that you will have to learn that are different from the world that you left behind. For example, "Chloe, most of us once we are adults are able to read each of others thoughts. This will be somewhat alarming to you, but in time you will find that this is part of the equation of why our society is very honest and open with each other, we have no secrets and we are up front, we have no hidden agendas or hidden motives. Scientist has done experiments to see if someone from another dimension like yours can be taught and be able to read others thoughts." Chloe had difficulty taking all this in and she thought that she was not sure whether she liked everybody being able to know her thoughts. She thought to herself what if she liked a person but did not want him to know it. Liz chuckled and looked at her and said, "It's actually a very nice thing, and this prevents problems, and there should be no hidden motives. If you like a person then he knows it, if they like you, you knows it. If he does not like something about you, then you will know. You can then both deal with it, like it or not. Chloe's new information was unsettling in her mind, Liz again looked at her and said, "I will not always do this to you but let me comment on what you have just been thinking. In time you will get used to this, and you will actually wish that you had the same capabilities as it is a big part of keeping everybody honest." Chloe told Liz that she thought that she would go to bed early, as she was feeling tired and all the new things of the day had been more than enough for her to try to take in. Liz told her goodnight and for Chloe to remember any time day or night if she had a question or she needed anything or felt ill, just to call her. Chloe smiled and said goodnight. Chloe was having a restless night because as she lay in the stillness of the room she began to think about friends and family that she had left behind. She began to think about her aunt and uncle, particularly Aunt Jessica and wishing that she could see her. Chloe began to sob softly until without her doing anything, music began to play, it seemed to be coming from her bed and it seemed to relax her, it reminded her of some of the music that she had heard in her room at the hospital and she drifted off into a pleasant sleep. The coming weeks were busy, Chloe had many new things to learn, and they told her that she was adjusting very well. She asked questions, and they answered her questions, some of those questions created more questions. She was surviving, and everybody had been very nice and very helpful but she still was having a hard time getting used to the walls that disappeared and the fact that she knew that everybody knew what she was thinking if they wanted too. The following weekend there was a big party at her apartment complex, Chloe was uncertain about going, but Liz had insisted that she go and that it would be a lot of fun. Chloe and Liz had shopped from the apartment and ordered a new outfit for the party. An amazing material that changed color as your mood changed. Liz teased her that if she looked at a good looking guy longer than twenty seconds it became a see through. At the party Liz had stayed with Chloe and walked around with her, and occasionally would introduce her to someone. Liz seemed to know many people. Chloe was amazed at the number of people that were there. Liz told Chloe that there could easily be a hundred people and everybody was nice. The music and the entertainment was different, and it would take her getting used to, but the highlight of the party and the evening was when she spied out of the corner of her eye Dr. John and it appeared that he was with his assistant Mairenn. Chloe thought to herself that he had told her that Mairenn was his assistant. However, was she more than his assistant? Chloe lost sight of Dr. John and some girls that claimed that they live very close to her apartment on the same floor were being friendly, and said that they would have to get together. They seemed to be very nice, for brief moment, Chloe was lost in her thoughts, and then her new friends wandered off. Chloe's mind went back and focused on Dr. John, and she wondered if she would see, and get to talk to him at the party. At that moment she felt a hand touch her shoulder and as she turned around she was surprised to see Dr. John standing there smiling at her. Then should she really have been surprised because she had been thinking about him. Chloe was blushing thinking about Dr. John and the thought popped into her mind that Dr. John is a very handsome man. About the time of the thought, she realized that she could not be thinking those thoughts. The last time that she saw Dr. John, he knew what she was thinking. All this caused Chloe to become nervous and her face flushed even more. Dr. John smiled at her and said, "Chloe do you feel okay, you're a bit red in the face?" Chloe wandered was he being kind to her or perhaps maybe he did not pick up her last thought. Chloe said," I am fine, but there are a lot of people here and I'm not used to being around so many people at once." Dr. John said "Ok let’s find somewhere with a little less people." We can catch up on what you have been doing. I have been thinking about you and I have wanted to talk to you and find out how you have been doing, and if you have any questions for me." Chloe welcomed a little bit more space away from the giant room that they were in, there were too many people, and she wanted to have Dr. John all to herself. They found themselves a spot off to the side in front of a very large blank wall, which Chloe wondered what that wall created. Dr. John answered her question and said, "Behind us is a large meeting room and sometimes they will have meetings or old fashioned plays here." Chloe found herself a little frustrated in that Dr. John was reading her mind and answering her questions, this was very awkward, and she was not sure whether she would ever get used to it. Dr. John was a great conversationalist and he made Chloe comfortable, and asked her if she had any pressing questions, and then there was again the thought that popped into her mind about Dr. John and whether Mairenn and he was an item. It was Dr. Johns turn to blush, but he smiled and looked at Chloe and said, "No were not an item, and we never will be." At that point, Chloe looked at Dr. John and said, "I'm finding that this is very difficult to have conversations when people can read my thoughts, it's a bit unnerving." Dr. John smiled at her and said," Trust me in time you will appreciate the merits of this ability, and you will get used to it. I will however try to respect your thoughts, and you can ask me any questions that you want to, and I won't answer questions that come to me from your thoughts, is that fair?" Chloe fought back a smile and said, "I guess we can try" Dr. John kept his word and did not indicate in any way that he noticed those thoughts Chloe found herself having. After a time because of Dr. John's mannerism and his kindness that he showed to Chloe, she began to relax. Dr. John had given his undivided attention to Chloe and she was enjoying his company. Then Dr. John surprised her by asking her if she would like to go on a date with him the following weekend. Chloe was convinced that he had read her thoughts after he asked that question, because he stopped, smiled, and looked at her, and said, "In fact why wait until next week? I might be able to take you out tomorrow evening, and I get off at eight o'clock." Chloe give her thoughts no time to contemplate, and said, "That that would be nice and that she would like that." Dr. John replies, "I'll pick you up shortly after eight, maybe I will call about eight fifteen and I'll show you some of the sites of our town and take you to a restaurant that I've heard about that probably would have Chloe written all over it." Chloe smiled back and told him that that would be fine and she would be waiting for him. Chloe realized she was pinching herself to try to guard her thoughts. Then she gave into her exciting thoughts and Dr. John gave no indication that he knew what she was thinking.