Siena didn't like the six people, all very distinct looking and way older than her and James, seated in front of them, separated by the long table.

They were intimidating, she thought, leaning into her ginger companion the moment he pulled his chair closer to hers.

She relaxed a little when the old, friendly lady, Alicia, spoke to her about her grandma, making her remember that she had loved this Society. That made Siena feel slightly better, but it didn't last long.

The very important Bibliophiles gathered at the table started with their serious talk, an endless chatter about Siena and James being different, special, just like her grandma and his dad had been. And after that, they begun to discuss their nonsensical theories, sending words like quantum mechanics, collapsing waves, self-contained universes, subatomic physics, possible parallel worlds, indexical actuality, alternate realities and what not, flying through the air and reverberating off the white walls and the weird, shiny instruments filling every flat surface of the large room, confusing her.

The only very few things which Siena knew about this subject she had learned from the novels she had read. However, the moment she asked if they were talking about the multiverse, as that was the most common theory used by fiction writers, she realised that James knew much more about it than she did.

She listened to his explanation offered to her in words much simpler to comprehend than those used by the others present, admiring him in a way. How could he wrap his mind around something like this... When Alicia took it from him, explaining the rest to both of them, Siena had so many doubts and an infinity of questions, but there was one much more insistent than the others. Apparently, for James as well.

"How?" they asked simultaneously, making the old woman nod and smile happily. She knew she had them where she wanted them.

"George, please," Christopher said, looking at his secretary who stood up immediately and walked to one of the tables pushed to the wall, then came back immediately carrying a small, wooden jewel case.

"We have these for our Travellers," Christopher said to Siena and James, opening the case and taking out a large silver locket set with a single red stone and a matching ring, placing them both on the table.

James, unable to resist his curiosity, stood up and walked to the table, and Siena, not wanting to be left alone in the middle of the room, followed him shyly.

"Are they some sort of a... device?" James asked, observing the two jewels closely, his inventor's mind trying to guess how the ornaments worked.

"They certainly are," the old, white-haired, Einsteinesque man replied. "The ring will take you both into the fictional worlds and back; the locket will help you move forward and backwards within the plot. You wear the ring, young man, the lady wears the locket. They only work together, so you mustn't lose each other." He looked between Siena and James significantly as he added, "None of you can do this alone. Go on, don't worry, you may touch them. They won't transport you anywhere right now. They need a drop of your mixed blood each to function. But we will only add that at the last moment, once you are ready to go."

The old man chuckled at seeing their puzzled expressions, then everybody watched in silence as James lifted the ring carefully off the table and put it on his finger.

"Come on, Siena, you too. Try it on, get used to it. You can take them home with you tonight," Christopher urged.

As she did not move, James smiled at her encouragingly, then picked the red and silver locket up carefully. After he shot her a questioning 'May I?' look, to which Siena agreed with a simple nod and an unsure smile, he secured it around her neck.

Siena looked down to where the shiny red stone encased in an intricately twisted silver circlet lay on her chest, resembling a drop of fresh blood on snow as it found its place among the ruffles of her white blouse. She ran an exploring finger over its surface reverently; it was cool and smooth and quite heavy.

James took her other hand in his quite naturally and led her back to their seats before he asked, "How... exactly does this work?"

"You must choose a book you think deserves a better alternate ending or a more satisfying life for one or more of its characters. Any character you like, it doesn't have to be only the protagonist. But it must be a book which hasn't been 'fixed' yet by your predecessors."

"Romeo and Juliet," James blurted out.

Siena smiled, not quite expecting him to think about that story. "Frankenstein," she announced, giggling when she noticed the surprise in James' bright blue eyes when he looked at her. "What? The poor nameless monster, I always felt sorry for him. Don't tell me that you don't consider Victor extremely selfish and cruel," she defended her choice.

James nodded thoughtfully but did not manage to reply as Christopher interrupted them, "They are both still available. And there's a reason behind that-- they are both complicated and potentially dangerous worlds. You need something much more straightforward to start with. Think about a book with a simple plot line and not too many characters. Remember that any of them could interfere with your plans, making everything more difficult. Don't underestimate the setting and the time period, either. We might need a day or two to prepare your clothes and the correct currency, depending on which world you'll choose to visit."

Siena observed the people in front of her doubtfully. They all looked so sure and convinced. She ran her fingers again over the large stone, glancing at its twin, shining dimly on James' finger, convinced that she won't completely believe in this theory until she tried.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she asked, "You said that some of the worlds are more dangerous than others. Why?"

"Imagine time as a river flowing around our universe on all sides, and the fictional worlds as boats, docked to our own reality, Siena," Alicia explained. "They stay still only until you step into them and set them into motion. Then they start drifting slowly away, taking you with them. The longer you stay inside of them, the farther you'll get from our own world and the more difficult it will become for you to return. This is more likely to happen when you choose a difficult plot and encounter complications."

Siena looked at James, who met her gaze, eyebrows furrowing with questions none of them quite knew how to put into words.

"What if we drift too far away and won't be able to return?" he asked after a moment, turning back to those at the table.

"Then, unfortunately, you'll remain trapped inside the fictional world. The same will happen when you get separated-- none of you can return without the other," Alicia said matter-of-factly.

"Did it... ever happen to anyone...?" Siena muttered, hands clenched in fists on her lap.

"No, not yet, not that we know of, at least. If you choose a story you know well and think properly about the solution to the problem you want to solve before you travel, you'll have more than enough time to come back."

"How do we travel?" James asked.

"At least the first time you'll transport from here," Christopher spoke. "As I said, we need a drop of your blood, but it's a very simple procedure. You'll be able to travel without our assistance soon enough. You'll need a copy of the book you want to fix open on the page, the part of the plot you want to visit. Using the locket to move within the plot is not perfectly precise, not until you learn a few tricks. It will get easier with time. Once your blood activates them, the stones will respond to you, you'll only need to think and focus."

It all sounded so incredibly complicated, impossible, dangerous... and wonderful. It was amazing, Siena decided, noticing the same sort of excitement she felt, making her eyes grow wide, filling James' blue irises.

She smiled at him, and he beamed at her as Christopher continued, "Go home now, we have a nice flat for you nearby. Rest, think everything through, and decide together."

"Just one more question, Christopher," James said. "Why us? Are there no others who could do this?"

"There are currently twenty-five of you, more or less direct descendants of the Fictional Worlds' Travellers, dispersed around this world. Yes, you are that rare." Christopher smiled at them. "The fact that you need to work in pairs does not make it any simpler to choose the right people... We decided to try you two, knowing that your relatives made a great team in the past. Let us see what you can do. Oh, and one more thing," he added hastily. "We maintain secrecy about our Society. Please do not speak about what we have told you to anyone outside our circle."

Right, no pressure at all, Siena thought, accepting James' hand and letting him help her to her feet.

"What about you, the Bibliophiles' Society?" She heard James ask as everyone stood up to shake their hands before they would leave. "Does any of you have a personal experience to share with us?"

"We are not Travellers like you, Mr Boyd," the old Einstein spoke, looking at James wistfully. "We only keep an eye on all of you, aid you, and gather information."

"Sleep well. Take your time to choose and plan your strategy. Get to know each other a little. Here," Christopher said, pushing two sleek, black mobile phones across the table towards them. "Let us know when you are ready. You'll find all the important numbers inside. We will be waiting."

"So many worlds, so much to do... " James mumbled distractedly as he and Siena finally followed George towards the front door.

"...so little done, such things to be. That's Alfred, Lord Tennyson," Siena finished for him as George opened the front door for them. She looked through the jungle, which hid the Society's headquarters from curious eyes of the occasional passers-by towards the blue car and the smiling Jake the driver waiting for them at the end of the lane.

"Why, Miss De Angelis, you know our British poets?" James demanded, purposely exaggerating his Scottish accent.

She rolled her eyes at him, her attempt to suppress a smile failing. "British, Italian, German, French, American..."

They got lost in discussing poetry even before they reached Jake.

Alicia, who had followed them to the door, shook her head, smiling at the old, white-haired man standing by her side.

"They are all the same, aren't they, Albert?" she mused, watching the couple disappear into the car.