Does it surprise you to think there are other planets that are life sustaining?
I thought about that for a moment. I don’t think it surprises me. I mean, if it can happen on Earth, why not somewhere else? I just have never really thought about it, because finding those planets would seem to be a physical impossibility.
My planet is named Te’re.
Te’re, I whispered, trying out the name. There was a pleasing quality to the sound as it crossed my lips.
I’ll show you.
The car was suddenly in space, and I knew Ryder was now controlling the visuals in my dream. Starlight zoomed by at an incredible speed, and I was starting to feel like I was on a space-themed roller coaster, making the trip through space feel fun and exhilarating. And then there it was. It was a planet that looked much like Earth, with green-and-blue colors reflecting back at us from a distance.
It’s too far to travel to by ship. It has two moons, but in many other ways it’s comparable to Earth. We have an atmosphere with breathable oxygen and many of the same kinds of geological features that you’re used to, like forests, mountains, rivers and oceans—and a few that you aren’t, but that’s for another day.
In the next moment we were on the bank of the lake where I had watched Ryder and Nick playing on the rope swing.
Hey! This is where your friend broke his leg. He smacked into that tree.
That’s right. This was one of my favorite places as I was growing up. I spent hours here as a boy and then a young man. Ryder looked troubled for a moment as he scanned the peaceful setting. I took solace here on many occasions. I would sneak out of my parents’ home and walk up here, sometimes meeting up with Nick. There were dark times.
Why would you have to sneak? Weren’t you allowed to enjoy the outdoors?
There were reasons, he said firmly, and that was all he was going to say. An awkward silence began to build. I tried to fill the space.
I remember the two moons from that dream. I thought they were beautiful.
Very few nights on Te’re are ever completely dark. For us, it’s strange to have a fully darkened night. The closer moon is Padu, and the smaller one, which isn’t actually smaller, just farther away, we refer to as his sister, Mena.
It sounded beautifully poetic.
With a serious face, Ryder turned to me. I think it’s time to wake up. We have some talking to do.
Okay. I think I’m ready.
A hand lightly shook me awake. I was lying on a strange couch in the strange, cavelike room with the strange glowing rocks, and Ryder was kneeling on the floor by my head. Concern deepened the creases around his light green eyes, and his blue-black hair was mussed.
I scrambled to a seated position, looking around swiftly.
“Take it easy,” Ryder said calmly, rubbing my arms.
My head swam for a moment, but I took stock of the situation. I mentally logged things that my brain had written off, like the trinium light and the supersmooth, shiny blue cave walls. Then I hesitantly glanced out at the two moons again. They were truly beautiful. And still... Another planet? Really? Earth was out there in the black distant space? And that crazy, gut-squeezing, vacuumlike experience had somehow brought me here?
Was I safe? Would I ever get back home?
I could feel that I was still riding the edge of a potential full-blown panic attack, my breathing still shallow and quick. Cornered-animal syndrome. My body was shivery from a combination of shock and cold. I felt so helpless. Powerless. I hated that.
I’d been forced to give up my control. Had I agreed to come with him? Yes, but not with full knowledge of what I was getting myself into. That, more than anything, freaked me out. How was I supposed to trust him when he wasn’t giving me full information?
“Why didn’t you warn me?” I glared at Ryder. I jerked my arms from him sharply and scooted away from him, back into the corner of the sofa, and almost saw the growl that wanted to erupt from his chest. It rose and fell sharply, and he only just checked himself from hauling me back to his arms.
“Why are you pushing me away?” His voice rose with agitated confusion, which only made me madder.
“You can’t make decisions that affect me without consulting me. Shit!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You could have prepared me for this! Holy Christ, Ryder.”
“Prepared you for this?” His look told me he thought I was nuts and that he was getting pissed off. “How? How was I supposed to do that exactly?”
“I don’t like being thrown into the deep end without warning!”
“You’re being ridiculous. There’s no way I could have talked with you about this.” Swiftly, he stood and scowled down at me.
“I am not being ridiculous! You could have thought of something.”
“Play that little scene in your head. The one where I tell you I’m from another planet. How would that have gone over? You would have said ‘nanu-nanu’ or some shit like that. If you can think of a better way I could have done this, I invite you to fucking share it, because I was at a loss.”
He was likely right. “I don’t know. But at least I would have been ready for all this.”
“No you wouldn’t have been. You’d have thought I was a fucking nut job.” He swung away in complete exasperation, stalking half the length of the room before pausing to look up at the ceiling as if asking for divine guidance. The muscular outline of his broad shoulders and perfect ass faced me, and strangely, getting back in touch with my libido calmed me down.
He turned and faced me with a look of angry bewilderment that was so...hot. “You are so fucking difficult!”
An inappropriate giggle wanted to escape my lips, but I held it back. Likely it was just residual hysteria. Instead I said, “Cut me some slack. I just discovered there’s another planet with life.”
“There are infinite numbers of other planets that are life sustaining.”
“That’s not common knowledge where I come from. You may as well have just told me I can fly.”
His sarcasm started to kick in. “Let me assure you, you can’t.”
I felt myself calming and just continued glaring for a moment before I said, “So how did this happen? How the hell do I find myself...here? And how do I get back home?”
I couldn’t allow myself to think about the distance back to Hollywood, California, or I’d start feeling the choking sense of panic again, and I desperately needed to feel a sense of control.
His pale eyes glared right back at me for a few silent moments. He must have seen a hint of my fear, because he took a deep breath and sat at the other end of the short couch, facing me. Our shoes were almost touching. “Look, I can see you’re upset. I don’t blame you. Maybe understanding it will help.”
“Yes. Please,” I fairly begged, needing something to hold on to.
“There’s a substance called mylunate. It’s an ore that can be found naturally on Te’re and Earth.”
“That’s the stuff you were asking me about in your dream. I remember that,” I said with a tone of understatement. Ryder could look e-vil when he wanted to.
“The best way to explain this is that mylunate can create a gateway between two places. Essentially, it binds to the mind with exposure. The traveler mentally images a place in detail, something the mylunate helps the traveler do with crystalline precision, and if the environmental conditions are right, the gateway opens. With continuous exposure, it has certain side effects, like mind access and dreamwalking.”