The car comes to a stop outside a red brick building. The driver turns and looks at me.

"That building there," he tells me and gestures to the one we pulled in front of.

"Thanks," I say, my throat dry. I take the gift Gates gave me and open the car door. The driver leaves as soon as I shut it behind me. I gulp and look up at the building.

Tentatively, I walk up the cream steps that lead up to the polished, black front door. Licking my dry lips, I reach up and knock loudly. I take a step back and look up at the four-story house. It looks nice with cream stone surrounding the large windows and a few plants in the tiny square of the garden.

I sigh, glad it is quieter here. The sound of the city is faint now, like a low background noise. As I stare back at the road with its cars parked on the edges and trees lining the paths, I enjoy the stillness that the central city lacks. It is strangely peaceful.

The door opens suddenly, and I jump.

A woman stands there, her eyes looking over me carefully. I clear my throat awkwardly and then speak the safe words.

"I called earlier inquiring about staying in your spare room for a few days," I say, hoping that this is the right place. The woman nods her head.

"Do you smoke?" she asks.

"No, it's a bad habit," I reply. She nods her head and opens the door further, allowing me inside. I smile awkwardly as I pass her.

"Ivy, right?" she asks as she shuts the door.

"Yes," I reply. She holds out her hand, her diamond bracelet and silver bangles jingling as they bump into each other. I take her hand and shake it. Her hands are soft and I notice how perfect her nails are. They have been filed into neat ovals and painted a deep, and shining red. The diamond ring on her finger also catches my eye as it shines in the low light.

"I am Miss T," she states matter of factly then, turns and walks further into the house, her black stilettos clicking on the ashy wooden floors. "You will be staying with me for the next two weeks," she says, and I quickly follow behind her. "Whilst you are here, I will help you adjust to the city and teach you how to use the technology."

I let out a little sigh of relief, glad I am going to have time to learn about how this place works before I get thrown into working.

She stops and turns. Her eyes look up and down my body. "I will also teach you how to dress better," she states. I open my mouth to argue that I didn't choose this ensemble, but she laughs.

"I know, the trainers in the Second Realm like to think they understand fashion, but they don't," she chuckles. I gaze at her outfit and smile, looking forward to when I can look so glamorous. She wears a dark red blouse which fits perfectly to her body. The blouse is tucked into a pair of loose, white trousers.

"Is this your home?" I ask, changing the subject. Her bright red lips pull into a wide smile. She flicks her black, tightly braided hair over her shoulder and looks around.

"One of them," she replies proudly. "This type of house is known as a townhouse by the way," she explains. I nod my head and look around. I let out a shaky breath realising how much I really need to learn.

"Your language and accent are very good," she tells me as she opens a cupboard in the kitchen area.

"Thank you," I say, my voice sounding distracted.

The interior is beautiful. It is open and light with a large kitchen and dining area. It all looks sleek, and modern, with cream and white marble fittings. Stairs, made from white wood, lead both upstairs and downstairs.

Miss T approaches and shoves a glass into my hand. "Here," she says, "Portal travel is always a little rough."

"Thank you," I reply and sip at the water. It feels good in my dry mouth. I look back at her. I want to ask if she is from the Second Realm too, but I know that she will not answer that. Though I may be staying with her for two weeks, when I leave, I will know nothing about her. I will not know her name, what she does for work here, how old she is, nothing. I am sure that when I leave, I will never see her again.

"Let me show you to your room," she says and starts walking up the stairs. I follow her up to the second floor. The rest of the house that I can see follows the same simplistic, modern design as downstairs. There is nothing personal here. There are no pictures or vibrant colours. It is just minimal and plain.

She leads me to a room at the end of the corridor. A double bed fills most of the space, covered in white bedding and lots of cream pillows. As I look at the bed, my body feels heavy from exhaustion. I can't wait to just sink into it and sleep.

"I was given your measurements before you arrived," she tells me and goes over to the wardrobe. She opens it and my eyes widen. "I bought you some clothes. Just the essentials. We will go out shopping together later in the week."

"Wow, thank you," I reply. She smiles and shuts the door again.

"Through that door over there is an ensuite. Here," she says and walks over to it. I follow her. Inside is a shower, bath, toilet, and sink. Miss T quickly shows me how to use the shower and it is easy enough to understand. Most of it is pretty similar to home anyway.

As we leave the small room, Miss T starts talking again. "I'll let you relax a little. I'll come and get you in a few hours and we'll make dinner together so I can show you how to use all the kitchen appliances."

I gulp and nod my head. She chuckles softly. "Don't worry, you'll pick it up quickly. They aren't that difficult."

I smile awkwardly. "Thanks," I say again. She nods her head, then turns and leaves.

A long sigh leaves my mouth and I slump onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling blankly. I wonder where Connor, no, Nathan, is now?

That reminds me of the gift from Gates. I sit up and tear off the colourful paper. Inside is a box. Pulling open the tab, I empty the contents onto the bed. Inside are various types of ID cards, a bank card, some cash, and a mobile phone of my own. I inspect it thoroughly but decide to wait until Miss T shows me how to use it before I fiddle with it.

Heaviness sweeps over me once more and I yawn. I pack everything back up into the box and put it on one of the bedside tables. Then, I am lying down on the soft, warm bed. I snuggle into the soft blankets. As heavy sleep slowly starts to consume me, I dreamily think back to what I saw of the city in the back of the taxi. I remember driving alongside a murky brown river. On the other side was the heart of the city, the taxi driver had said. The structures were huge and had all sorts of strange shapes. They were a mix of silver and white, with dark windows. Strange bridges linked many of the towers together. It almost looked as though they were floating in the air.

I shudder. It was impressive, yes, but daunting too. With a groan, I turn around in the bed, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable and uneasy.

Stop it, Rowan, I tell myself. This is exciting. It is a new adventure. How many people get to say that they travelled to another realm? This really is amazing, when I really think about it.

Before I can think about it further, my body sinks into a deep and peaceful sleep.

***

The next two weeks are a blur. I forget all about my mission as I explore the city and learn about technology. Miss T shows me everything I need to know. She takes me on the Underground, which was terrifying the first time around. All those people cramped into long stations and huge thundering trains disappearing into dark tunnels was very daunting to be around. The smell of smoke, diesel, and body odour was less than pleasant. However, the more I used it the more accustomed to the chaos I became.

It didn't take me long to learn how to use the technology. The phones with their touch screens are amazing with the number of things you can do with them and I spent many an hour up at night endlessly scrolling through their multitude of social media platforms.

I have come to notice that everything is easier and quicker. Want food and can't be bothered to cook? Go on an app and it will arrive at your door in twenty minutes. Need to do cleaning up? Put it in some sort of machine and that will do it for you. What I've learned is there is a piece of technology for nearly everything.

Toward the end of the two weeks, I am venturing out into the city by myself. I don't have anywhere in mind. I just practice using the buses and the trains and interacting with other people. It didn't take me particularly long to pick up the local slang. All in all, it has been relatively easy.

Gates was right, this realm really isn't that complicated.

Miss T and I sit on one of her white sofas, drinking red wine and relaxing. It is my final night here. Tomorrow, I am off to take on this city alone. We don't talk. Apart from her teaching me, Miss T tends not to speak. There is an unspoken peace between the two of us.

"Do you want to watch another film?" she asks. I shake my head.

"No thanks," I groan. Any of my free time has been spent watching their films or shows to update me with modern pop culture. The thought of sitting through another over-acted, over-the-top drama fest makes me want to cry tears of boredom. I actually miss my rubbish radio that played fuzzy jazz. Miss T laughs and switches the channel to the news.

I try to listen carefully. It is important I keep up to date with current events after all. But, most of their stories are boring and unimportant. Especially when they move into the sports section. I zone out and open my phone to scroll through more of the apps.

"... Second Realm."

My head snaps up upon hearing it. Miss T leans forward too, staring at the television. Thick silence falls between us as we stare at the smartly dressed news anchor on the TV.

"Welcome to the news a six. Our top story today: Is the Second Realm mounting its forces for an attack? Our political correspondent, Johnathon Serdon, is outside the Royal Embassy of Athaine right now."

I don't blink as the image changes to that of a man. He wears a smart suit and stands outside a fancy modern building. In his hand, he holds a microphone. As he starts to speak, I don't even breathe.

"Reports from the Ministry of Defence suggest that the Second Realm are making movements toward a possible attack. Pictures coming out of the Second Realm show tanks being positioned close to The Great Portals. They also show increased activity around their air force bases. As we know, threats have been made from the Second Realm in the past when our nation refused to share our knowledge and resources. It would appear that being left behind in the technological race is leaving the Second Realm somewhat threatened by our technological superiority. Or perhaps jealousy would be a more accurate description."

I frown, shaking my head slowly. None of that is true. They're lying. I can't comprehend it. My hands ball into tight and shaking fists. How are they allowed to lie like that? Why are they lying?

"Do people need to be worried, Johnathon?" the host asks.

The correspondent chuckles confidently. "Not at all, Rosie," he replies, holding up his hands. "This is all speculation at the moment. Though I haven't been able to speak directly to those at the top of the Ministry of Defence, the attitude is clear. The Second Realm are no threat to us yet. But, if there are such times where we need to react, then the people of Etrayer can be sure that our response will be swift, efficient, and deadly."