Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Imagined Reality ❯ Chapter 2

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 2

I don't know how long I sat under the olive tree but soon it started to get dark. I let my confusion and jumbled thoughts leave my mind for a while as I stood and walked to the large house. Walking through the grand hallways alone was a little unnerving, but the few people I passed didn't even spare me a glance. I wandered around until I found the kitchen where a few women were cleaning up and gossiping.

"Well I heard that Mistress is getting rather upset with the amount of time Master is spending on his 'business trips.' He's gone nearly half of each month and is spending so much money on goodness knows what," a woman with red hair said as she scrubbed a pot.

"She aught to look at how much she's spending on all those trinkets and clothing if she's worried about money," a short brunette retorted. "She must have a fortune in jewels by now."

"And yet they say they can't afford to pay us more than they do," one of the younger women remarked as she wiped down the long wooden table.

"Well it's no wonder they can't, with their spending habits!"

I decided to continue my journey rather than stay and listen to them all night. I wanted to find Sophia and it was clear that she was not in the kitchen. I walked down yet another grand hallway lined with paintings and sculptures. It was easy to see that the family also liked to spend a great deal of money on art.

I finally walked by a room from which a woman's voice was coming. "After lunch tomorrow I have to go to town for a little while so if you need something, talk to Heather."

"Yes mama." The second voice I recognized immediately as Sophia's so I quickened my pace and entered the room. Sophia was folding some fabrics on a long wooden table with the woman I could only assume was her mother. Her mother stood tall and slim with waist long black hair. I could only see her back so that was all I could discern of her.

"So what did you do this afternoon, my dear?" she asked.

Sophia looked up and noticed me standing behind her mother. "I played with Helen!" she exclaimed, flashing me a huge grin.

"Helen?" her mother asked. "Who's Helen?"

"She's my new friend. She's right behind you."

Sophia's mother turned around and stared at me. I have her a small wave and smiled. Sophia's mother smiled. "Ahh, I see. So Helen is your new friend?"

"Mmhmm, she is. Paris played with us today too." Sophia was obviously pleased that the young man had played with them.

Sophia's mother turned her full attention back to her daughter again. "Paris did? That's nice to hear. What game did you play?"

"I was Aphrodite and he had to choose who was more beautiful, Athena, Hera, or me, and when he chose me, I promised him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, as his prize."

"Did you ask Helen if she wanted to be awarded as a prize?"

"No, but I could see that she was already falling in love with him. Besides, she said I could do whatever I wanted with her."

"Just be careful that you don't hurt your new friend or make her upset."

"I'll be careful mama, I promise."

"Good. Now finish off that last sheet and then it's off to bed with you."

Sophia put on a pouty face. "Do I have to?"

"Yes you do," her mother replied firmly, wiping the pout from Sophia's face. "Go on now, take your new friend with you."

Sophia finished her last fold and then hopped off the stool she had been standing on. "Come on Helen," she said to me as she walked to the door, "Good night mama."

"Good night sweetheart," we heard her call back. Sophia took my hand and led me down the hallway until we reached a grouping of doors, on of which she led me into. Once inside she took off her clothes and slipped into a simple night shirt. I folded her clothes and waited for her to get into bed before I sat down beside her and started running my fingers through her hair.

"Helen," she asked, her eyes closed and her voice drowsy.

"Yes?" I asked, continuing my ministrations.

"Will you come and play with me tomorrow again?"

I smiled. "Of course. All you have to do is call me and I'll come to you."

"Ok," she murmured, and within a few minutes she was asleep. I sat there for a few minutes staring into the darkness of the room, not really sure what to do now. I was supposed to be there for Sophia when she needed and wanted me, but what about when she was asleep? I suddenly felt rather lost and unsure of what to do.

"You are Helen, am I correct?" I glanced up at the unexpected voice. Standing before me were two women, both dressed in flowing white robes and beautifully adorned hair.


"Y-yes," I answered, trying to place the two women. They looked familiar yet I had seen so few people that I was certain I had never seen them before. I unconsciously wrapped my arms tighter around Sophia.

"Don’t be frightened, my dear, we won't hurt you or the child," the other woman said as she gave Sophia a tender smile. "We're here just to talk to you."

"Talk to me? Why?" I felt a little more at ease. They really didn't seem that they wanted to harm Sophia.

"Don't you have questions? Who you are, where you came from, what is expected of you, those kinds of things?" the first woman asked. I blinked. It was as though they had read my mind.

The second woman chuckled. "Come with us, Helen, so we can talk without waking the child. Have no fear, she will be safe."

I wasn't sure if I should or should not, but something told me that I could trust these women and that Sophia would be safe. I carefully detangled my arms from her and stood up. I have her one last kiss on the forehead before turning to face the two women. That's when recognition hit me. "Wait, I know where I know you from! Earlier, in the garden, when Sophia and I were playing you were there on the bench with her. You're Athena and Hera!"

"Yes, I am Hera," the woman who had spoken to me first said with a smile, "and this is Athena. We're just like you. We want to explain a few things so you're not confused."

I nodded and stepped toward them. The one named Athena placed her hand on my shoulder and suddenly there was a blinding, brilliant white light. When I opened my eyes I found myself on a patio surrounded by amazingly beautiful gardens. The night sky sparkled with handfuls of stars and a fragrant floral scent filled the air. Lanterns and candles were set up strategically so the entire patio was bathed in a soft, golden glow. A table with three chairs stood ready, the table covered in a variety of food with goblets and a pitcher filled with a ruby red liquid.

The scenario was absolutely stunning. "Welcome to my home," Hera said cheerfully as she motioned for me to take a seat. I did and waited for the other two to sit as well. The way they moved was like air, so smooth and graceful. The fabric of their robes looked like it was made of the finest spiders webs, since it moved like silk through water.

"Do you have any questions to start out or would you like us to just start explaining things to you?" Athena inquired as she poured some of the liquid into the goblet before me.

"You seem to know more than I do, so you can start," I replied, waiting until Hera had taken a sip from her goblet before sipping form mine. The liquid tasted sweet and fruity, though I couldn't specify which fruit.

"Very well. Look around you, Helen, and tell me what you see."

I looked around the patio, "I see a beautiful home and garden, a sky of stars, and wonderful food."

"Yes, it is beautiful, isn't it?" Athena asked. I nodded.

"None of this is real," Hera stated rather bluntly, causing me to freeze midway through a sip. She smiled and placed her own goblet back on the table. "None of us are real. This is the world of make believe. We have all been created to act as companions to those who need us, or as figures in their imagination. If you think about it, do you have any memories of the time before you met Sophia?"

I shook my head. "No, but I saw you today and you seem to have other memories. You certainly know more answers than I do."

"That is because we were not created by Sophia. She did not think us up but merely borrowed us, so to speak. We were thought up years ago , but our creator died already. When you are created, if you don't die in your host's storyline or mind, you keep on living. Once he or she does die, you come here to this realm to live and wait until you are called for by a new host. I hesitate to say child since some adults also have a need for us, so you can be called on by pretty much anyone. Sometimes you become a full time companion, other times you are used only for a few moments, like we were today."

"Why, then, can I be here now if Sophia is still alive?" I asked, a thousand new questions in my mind now.

Athena picked up a grape. "You can come and go from this world whenever you like, as long as Sophia does not need you. For example right now she is sleeping so you could come here. As soon as she wakes up and wants you, you'll know, and you can go strait to her."

"If she created me, does that mean everything I know is what she knows?" Since I had no former life, there had to be some explanation to my ability to speak and recognize things since I had no former knowledge of them.

"Yes and no," Athena replied. "Objects and such things you know from Sophia since she cannot create something she does not know. You do not know everything she does though. Today you met Paris whom Sophia knew, but you did not recognize him. You are your own person to an extent and can thus form your own opinions which will sometimes differ from hers."

"When you are here, you will live life with all the imaginary companions that frequent this realm and you will thus learn new things on your own. When Sophia dies and you wait here for another person to call upon you, you will learn still more. Thus, the more people that you are with, the more memories of your own you will have and the greater the knowledge you will have acquired," Hera added in.

"Will I meet up with many 'imaginary companions' outside of this realm?" I asked.

"Sometimes. It depends on who Sophia is spending her time with, in which case you may see someone else's imaginary companion, and how many imaginary characters are in her games. You saw us today, though for a very short while. You will be able to see and interact with any imaginary person around you as though they were real people, but Sophia won't be able to unless she herself imagines them as being there to talk to her," Athena replied.

I had to admit my head was beginning to hurt. "What about King Menelaus?" I asked.

Hera gave me a mischievous grin. "I was wondering when you were going to ask about your husband."

"So he really is my husband?" I inquired, still not sure about the rules of this 'imaginary realm.'

"Yes. Sophia made you husband and wife, so you are just that, until Sophia decides to split you up or kill one of you," Hera explained, "Or, if she chooses to keep you together until she has no need for you or dies, then you will remain husband and wife until you are the friend of someone who chooses to split you up. Does that make sense?"

I nodded slowly. "I suppose it has to for the time being. Where is Menelaus now?"

"In Sparta, exactly where Sophia sent him," Hera told me.

"Is he Sophia's creation as well?"

"No. Menelaus was thought up about eight years ago by a boy who did live in Sparta. The boy stopped calling on Menelaus about a year ago though, so Menelaus is now used by others, like Sophia," Hera picked up a fig as she spoke and bit into it.

"I thought a person had to die in order for us to stop being with him or her." Things were getting rather confusing for me.

"For the most part people just stop needing their imaginary companions and, in time, forget about them completely. At this point the companion is available to anyone else, but that original master is still in primary control."

"Things are much more complex and involved than what we've told you, but many situations you just have to experience, and learn for yourself. We're here to give you the basic information and answer any questions you may have in the future," Athena said gently, laying a hand on my shoulder. I found her words comforting for some reason. I picked up my goblet and took another sip.

"Where do I go when I do come here?" I asked as I placed the goblet back on the table.

Hera winked at me. "Don't worry about that, my dear. The next time you come here you'll come with Menelaus and he'll show you your home."

Involuntarily, I swallowed. For some reason that idea made me very nervous. I heard Athena chuckle beside me. "I think that we should have brought Aphrodite along with us as well so she could explain a few things too."

Hera nodded but said nothing. Suddenly, I felt an odd twinge in my chest. "Sophia wants me," I whispered, rising from my seat. Hera and Athena remained sitting and smiled at me. "I apologize, but I have to go. How do I get back to Sophia?"

"No need to apologize, we all know what it's like to be called. To get back simply concentrate on where you want to be," Hera replied.

I nodded and closed my eyes, concentrating on Sophia. In a blinding white light, which I could see despite having my eyes closed, I found myself in Sophia's room where Sophia was just waking up.

"There you are," she mumbled. "I had a bad dream and couldn't sleep."

I climbed onto the bed and wrapped my arms around her, drawing her back under the covers. "I'll stay here with you the rest of the night if you like," I whispered as she snuggled up against me. I felt her nod before she settled down, and soon she was asleep.

So much information, so many responsibilities and duties for me…and it was still only day one.