The portal had gotten her hopes up. Dawn stepped out into a drab, gray hallway, surrounded by concrete surfaces in every direction. Magic, it appeared, did nothing to improve aesthetic sense. She sighed and followed briskly after Mary, who was leisurely gliding forward down the tunnel.

"Where are we?" she asked Cal in a hushed voice.

He shrugged, looking around curiously as well. "I've only been through these things once, a long time ago."

It was Mary who answered. "This is one of the main Hubs of the Guild's transportation network," she chirped. "Which is to say, a concrete box in the middle of nowhere with a great many portals and even more security. This one is sort of in what you would know as Canada, I believe."

Dawn answered Mary's smile with a bug-eyed stare. "You mean there's more?" she sputtered. "It looked like opening that one back there nearly killed that guy!"

"Then it's a good thing that it isn't 'that guy' who runs the Hubs, but rather an archmage," Mary answered mischievously. Rounding the corner, she spread her arms with a dramatic flourish, gesturing around.

They had emerged in a larger room that looked like a cross between a subway station and a miniature airport. Dawn saw incomprehensible directories and maps plastered across the walls, colorfully illustrating absurd routes. She tentatively stepped forward, taking in the rows and rows of portals lining both walls.

Cal whistled, impressed, and Dawn was inclined to agree. But…

"Where, uh, is everybody?" asked Cal, voicing her question for her. "Aren't Hubs normally clogged to the brim?"

Mary chuckled. "That attack you fended off today embarrassed the Guild severely. In broad daylight, right inside a major mound! Impressive, by the way. Little Callie is all grown up now!" she cooed, reaching up to ruffle his hair. Dawn observed his embarrassment and made a note to tease him over "Callie" later.

"At any rate, if something happened right now, heads would be rolling literally rather than figuratively. They are taking absolutely no chances at the moment," she explained nonchalantly.

Peeking through the various portals around, Dawn saw glimpses of barriers and guards wherever she looked. "There does seem to be a lot of security," she agreed.

"Indeed," Mary hummed. "The Guild doesn't want to show it, but they have been quite rattled."

"I take it that none of this is particularly normal?" Dawn asked tentatively.

Mary just shook her head with a sympathetic look.

Great. It just had to happen to her.

Before that thought could go any further, they approached another portal, through which Dawn could see gleaming marble columns, a stone floor so polished she almost mistook it for water, and countless people of all kinds hurrying around like busy worker ants. Beside her, Cal sucked in an excited breath.

Mary slowed slightly as they entered and Cal said something, but Dawn noticed none of it. As soon as she stepped through the portal, her senses were assaulted by a sensation most horrid, like the buzz of a million mosquito-filled fluorescent lights. It faded slightly over the course of several long seconds, but even then she was left with a grating drone in the back of her mind.

"Dawn?" said Cal. Evidently she had missed something.

"Sorry, do you guys hear that?" she asked, trying to focus on anything other than the ever-present hum.

The two came to a stop, exchanging a concerned glance. They both shook their heads.

Dawn gritted her teeth, ignoring the noise drilling into her head. "It's probably fine. Yeah. Can we please keep going?"

Cal, ever the gentleman, picked her up, and Dawn didn't have it in her to protest. More words were exchanged and he navigated through the building with his unusual speed, holding her close. She leaned into his chest and closed her eyes, pressing her forehead forcefully against his chest as if it would drive away the sensation.

"Through this," she faintly heard Mary saying.

And then as suddenly as it came, the feeling was gone. Dawn cracked her eyes open and looked around in bewilderment. They were standing on a grassy expanse, distantly surrounded by woods in every direction. The shiny marble columns of the last location were nowhere to be seen.

She sat up and looked around cautiously, but felt nothing. "I think I'm fine now. What the hell was that?"

Cal eyed her skeptically but reluctantly put her down. "I didn't hear anything," he shrugged.

"Are you averse to crowds, perhaps?" Mary asked.

Dawn shook her head. "No way, I live in a city. It was this weird loud noise back there. You guys didn't feel anything at all?"

"Maybe it's like those old TVs that some people can't hear," Cal mused thoughtfully.

Dawn shrugged. "Whatever it is, I'd like to avoid going back there if possible."

Now that her head wasn't being split apart by a chainsaw, she finally had a good look at their new surroundings. White clouds drifted overhead in an orange-tinged sky, and the trees of the surrounding forest were casting lengthening shadows as the sun dipped down lazily. A river cut through the clearing, burbling gently. As she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a faint breeze blew past, bringing with it the damp scent of the forest and the sound of trees rasping in the wind. Dawn thought she caught the faint trilling of birdsong far away. For a moment, she almost understood all those people who sold everything to live in a cabin in the woods. It felt… magical.

The house in the clearing, however, was no mere cabin. A towering manor rose imposingly atop a small hill, glowing in the evening light. She wasn't even sure what word to use for it. It was almost like a castle, but far more elegant than any pile of stones and moats, yet it was also no country villa, with its turrets and spires and fortified buttresses. An eclectic mix of architectural features combined to form a structure that should not have been nearly as graceful as it was.

Mary was watching her take it all in. "Welcome," she beamed, "to our humble abode."

~~~~~~~~~

The short trek up the hill was quiet. As they walked, Cal's hand descended on the back of her neck, gently rubbing at the tension there. Dawn reached back and squeezed his other hand appreciatively. Before she knew it, they were standing before a tall pair of red doors with simple brass knockers.

As they approached, the doors opened, and a finely-dressed man stepped out, smiling slightly as if pleasantly amused. If the red waistcoat that perfectly matched Mary's dress was any indication, this was their mysterious benefactor. The man on the phone.

"Uncle Ruth!" Cal's face broke into a grin at the sight of the man, and he jogged up for a quick hug. "Thought you were busy?"

Ruth smiled broadly and clapped Cal on the back. "Never too busy for guests, my boy. Not many people visit us out here, you know?"

Between the manor and the Victorian fashion, Dawn was beginning to suspect he was also a vampire. That, and the fact that there was no way he was only in his 30s if Cal called him "uncle." Try as she might, though, she couldn't spot the sharp fangs that had been so noticeable on Cyrus, but then again, Cal had hidden his teeth from her and she had gotten FAR closer to his mouth.

Cal turned around and suddenly Ruth's attention was on her.

"Dawn, Ruth. Ruth, Dawn," Cal introduced.

"Hello Mr. Ruth," she said shyly.

"Please, please, just Ruth is fine! 'Mister' sounds so old!" he laughed. "Maria teases me about clinging onto my youth, but what can I say? For all of life's troubles back then, I'd like to feel young again."

Easy for him to say, with a beautiful wife and mansion in the woods. "The grass always is greener on the other side," she replied dryly.

Ruth smirked, looking amused. "Well, look at me, plugging the doorway. Come in, come in!" he sang jovially as he ushered them into a foyer with a dizzyingly high ceiling. "It's always so exciting to have guests! I must say, though, you got here faster than I expected."

"We made haste," Mary said simply.

Ruth nodded sagely in response. "At any rate, this is perfect. We were wrapping things up on our end, and Marcus was just about to leave. Calaf, you remember him, right?"

As if on cue, an elderly man strode into view, deeply engrossed in some papers. His weathered features and impressive beard lent him a rather wizardly appearance, clashing violently with the full suit of knightly armor that he was wearing. It was not until he had walked within a few paces of them that he seemed to notice the presence of new people. He snapped to attention, surveying them. "Ah, greetings, fair Lady. And are these…?"

"Indeed they are," Ruth confirmed, "and just in time to catch you on the way out. Calaf, this is Marcus, a friend of ours."

"Oh. Hi?" Cal tried awkwardly.

The old man nodded. "You were quite young when we last met," he replied stiffly. Dawn couldn't help but think of her unfamiliar relatives talking about how they used to help change her diapers. His gaze fell on her and he gave her a polite nod, which she silently reciprocated before going back to studying his armor. Though faded, she could make out a pale golden trim, and the breastplate featured what appeared to be the setting half of a sun, complete with old-timey squiggly rays. As far as she could tell, he looked like an honest-to-God medieval knight.

God, Cal had some weird relatives.

"Well, this was most helpful," he said brusquely to Ruth after an awkward silence. "I shall be on my way now, if you'll excuse me." With that, he marched out the front door.

"He hasn't changed a bit," Mary commented endearingly.

Ruth chuckled and leaned forward. "Don't tell him I said this," he whispered conspiratorially, "but what I enjoy most about his company is how young it makes me feel." He pantomimed stroking a long beard sagely. "He was always wise beyond his years."

Mary cleared her throat lightly.

"Right, right," said Ruth, "Say, Calaf, when was the last time you came to visit?"

Cal's made a face as he tried to remember. "Uhh, we came that one summer when I was young, but I don't think I have since? Why?"

Mary smiled at him. "We kept your room as it was."

Cal lit up with excitement like an eager golden retriever, and Dawn could feel him torn between staying with her and revisiting memories. She patted him encouragingly and nodded.

He grinned gratefully at her, shouldered their bags, and disappeared in a blur, leaving Ruth to jog after him. Mary chuckled beside Dawn and shook her head, looking like every exasperated aunt to have ever lived. "Boys, am I right?" She glided gracefully towards a spiral staircase. "While they do that, let me show you your room."

"Oh!" Somehow, it hadn't occurred to Dawn that she would need a place to sleep. She quickly followed Mary up the stairs.

The manor's labyrinthine hallways were dizzying, and Dawn soon gave up on trying to keep track of anything, instead staring at the décor as they passed. Eventually, Mary broke the silence. "You may have noticed, but we are currently in a different time zone," she said lightly.

Dawn had not, in fact, noticed. In hindsight, the sunset should have given it away, but then again, she was hardly in the state of mind to notice.

"Somewhere in Europe," Mary clarified.

"How reassuring," Dawn bit out sarcastically before realizing how rude it sounded.

To her relief, Mary laughed heartily at the comment. It was a beautiful sound, high and clear. "Would you believe me if I told you that my dear husband Ruth decided to name this place 'Somewhere' just to mess with people?"

"I—that's—wha," Dawn sputtered eloquently. "You can't be serious?"

Mary smiled. "You're right, he didn't."

Dawn sighed in relief.

"He actually named it 'Somewhere Else,'" she continued.

Dawn gaped at her.

"He thought it was funny. 'We seek audience, where is he?' 'Oh, Somewhere Else of course.' Just look at what I have to put up with," Mary said, shaking her head. "Anyway, my point was that you've skipped a few bells—several hours—forward in the day and we'll be having dinner soon."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Yeah."

"A hearty meal and plenty of rest should do you some good," Mary said. "I know you've had a long few days."

"You could say that," Dawn snorted. "Although, didn't you just tell me today was extra short?"

Mary chuckled as they rounded a corner and stopped before a door much like any other in the hall, save for the large, red eye-shaped glyph painted on it. Dawn looked closer at the crimson pigment.

"Is that…"

"Surveillance," Mary provided helpfully. "In light of recent events, we figured it would be good to keep a metaphorical and literal eye on the comings and goings around here as an extra precaution, if just for peace of mind. Don't worry, it only watches out here."

She nodded gratefully. "Magic?"

"Magic," Mary smiled. She gestured invitingly at the door.

Dawn gripped the handle and slowly pushed the door open, not entirely sure what to expect. Inside, she found a cozy room with a large, soft-looking bed that instantly reawakened the aches in her back from sleeping in a tiny cot tangled up with Cal. The final rays of the setting sun peeked through the window, which offered a view of the miles and miles of unending forest around the manor. The soft rosy wallpaper gave it a comforting warmth, and ornate embellishments dotted everything from the wall to the furniture to even the curios on the shelves.

Mary followed her in, leaning lightly against the doorway. "Bathroom's over there," she pointed. "You like it?"

"I—yes, it's… wow." Dawn looked around in wonder, quietly marveling at the small joys she suddenly had again.

"How are you feeling?" Mary softly asked.

Dawn flopped onto the fluffy bed and slowly exhaled, letting the tension bleed out of her. "Overwhelmed, I guess," she admitted after a long pause.

Mary drifted over to gaze out the window. "I know how it feels."

Dawn sat up and looked at her curiously.

"I myself stumbled upon this world in not too dissimilar a manner. If you need anything, we're here for you. You'll be back on your feet in no time, I'm sure of it," Mary smiled encouragingly.

"Thanks." Dawn wasn't sure what else to say.

"I also remember getting lost quite frequently, so I prepared a temporary measure while Ruth figures out something else." She handed Dawn a small, round sphere, blood red and glossy smooth. It was about the size of one of her father's golf balls and about as heavy. "If you need to get somewhere or say something to me, just ask that, and I'll guide you like this."

The orb gently jerked towards Mary of its own accord, and Dawn dropped it in surprise. Instead of falling, however, it lazily floated towards Mary, who flicked it back to her with an amused expression.

Dawn clutched the sphere tightly in her hands and stared at it. "Magic?"

"Magic," Mary confirmed. "And before you ask, this next one is magic too," she said as she pulled a lantern off a nearby shelf. It looked like any other Victorian lantern until she tapped it and illuminated the entire room in a bright, warm glow. By some strange sorcery, the haze of light inside the lantern wasn't too bright to stare at. She dimmed it slightly and put it down on the nightstand.

"Wow."

"Indeed," Mary hummed while drawing the heavy drapes. "I must say, the honeymoon phase for magic didn't last too long for myself, so you should enjoy it while you can."

"I don't know how you could ever get tired of it," Dawn admitted.

"I think Ruth rather ruined the mystique of magic for me," Mary joked. "Anyway, what else… Right! There are some servants of sorts in the manor, nothing to be alarmed about. You can recognize them by the colorful masks. If you ever need help, you can probably ask them, but they aren't particularly talkative."

Dawn ran the words through her mind a few more times. "Magic too, I'm guessing. So what are they? Robots? Golems?"

Mary nodded her head. "Something rather like that. The exact word escapes me at the moment, but Ruth would probably love to explain in great detail. The man could yap your ear off about some things. Speaking of which, I should probably check on the boys."

She stood up, smoothed off her dress and glided out the door. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready!" she called, half-closing the door on the way out.

Dawn lay there, clutching the sphere tightly and letting the deafening silence fill the room. For what was probably several minutes, she allowed herself to simply exist in a hazy fog.

Eventually, the thing poking her in the waist caused enough discomfort to rouse her. Dawn sat up and realized with a start that she had laid down on the knife that Lee had given her. Probably not the safest thing to be doing. She quickly undid the straps and put the whole thing on the nightstand.

Well, now that she was up, she might as well have a look around. After hiding out in Cyrus' basement for so long, everything seemed so vivid and rich. The bed was softer than she could have imagined, the decoration more detailed than she thought possible, and the colors more beautiful than anything she had seen before.

Dawn kicked off her shoes and let her feet sink into the plush carpeting. Divine. It was so wonderful that she found herself taking another step just to enjoy it, and before she knew it, she was wandering about the room. In that case…

First order of business: that bathroom. Dawn padded over to the adjoined restroom, filled with trepidation. When she approached the dim room, a small lantern on the wall lit up, revealing—

Dawn sighed in deep relief. Modern plumbing. Thank goodness.

With her worries alleviated, she returned to wandering about the room. The mirror, to her disappointment, did not appear to be magical, and the other furniture seemed just as plain. Eventually, she ended up staring at a beautiful bookshelf, made of some red-hued wood with elegant dark grain.

It was filled with rows and rows of finely bound tomes, a dizzying repository of knowledge. She spotted an encyclopedia split into three volumes and a separate appendix, a smattering of what looked like magic textbooks, no fewer than seven books with the word "History" in the title—one of which had it thrice!—and a fair number of volumes on what she made out as supernatural biology. Dawn had a sneaking suspicion that a fair number of these books had been placed here for her benefit.

More strikingly, however, were the ornate bookends decorating the shelf. Each was a veritable work of art on its own, and Dawn absently wondered how much they must have cost. The top row had three detailed bookends, with the middle one spaced unevenly to the left to divide books by subject matter. To the furthest left was a heavy looking one made of a yellow, brassy metal, sculpted to the likeness of someone she didn't recognize. It looked like a man with short, shaved hair—almost bald, really—and a muscular, barrel-chested physique that was emphasized by his crossed arms. He appeared to be naked from the waist up, wearing only loose pants and standing barefoot. The middle bookend was made of a red, bronzish metal, featuring an aristocratic man with a mischievous grin and a chalice raised in toast. Where the previous bookend was solid and durable, this one felt refined and elegant. The final bookend was made of a strange, almost purplish-bronze metal, and it showed a young man wearing a cruel sneer and a laurel wreath. Dawn wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was crushing underfoot.

The second row had similar statuette bookends. To the left was that yellow, brassy sculpture of the muscular man in a fighting stance, and to the rightmost end was the red bronze of the aristocrat brandishing a long, thin rapier. In the very middle was a bookend in dull gray metal with not an ounce of luster, depicting a crown broken in half with leave scattered about. It looked uncomfortably ominous.

The row below only had two. Again, there was that aristocrat in red bronze, reaching for something—or someone—across the books. On the other end was, unlike all the others, a brilliant white marble bookend, carved into a beautiful woman in a long, flowing dress, adorned with delicate white lilies.

She liked that one the most.

Dawn gave the books another pass in an attempt to digest the contents of the shelf. There was a particularly thick tome with borderline comedic proportions—any fatter and it would start resembling a cube—with a dense, unparseable title that seemed to be about space. Another one detailed the absurdly niche subject of The Illegitimate Chinese-Russian-Kazakh Currency Exchange Market and its Impact on the Local Economic Ecosystem of the Lower Morozovskian Beast Tribes in the Period of 1988 to 1993.

Nope. Dawn had had enough of school, she was not doing homework just when things were looking up again.

She stepped towards the window and cracked open the curtains slightly, peeking out into the rapidly dimming twilight. Real dark forest vibes. She drew them back again. Just as she was running out of things to examine, the red sphere in her left hand warmed slightly, and Dawn peered at it curiously. After a moment, it began vibrating, and Mary's voice emanated from it.

"Dinner's ready when you are." The orb gently tugged against her hand towards the door.

It was a peculiar feeling, bringing to mind memories of playing with magnets as a child. Dawn rushed through the motions of washing her hands before following the orb out of her room. With her fingers firmly clutched around the sphere, it almost felt like Mary holding her hand and pulling her along.

~~~~~~~~~

Dawn entered the dining room to find everybody waiting for her. Cal was chattering with Mary—who was now in a flowing white dress—near the fireplace while Ruth perused a wine cabinet, searching for the right beverage to go with dinner.

Cal noticed her almost as soon as she stepped in, and he turned to grin at her, looking lighter than ever before.

"Ahh, there she is," chirped Ruth. "Whiskey?" he asked, holding up some bottles. "Or wine?"

"Oh, I don't really drink, thank you," Dawn replied politely.

"Cider it is, then," he said, pulling out a bottle of fizzy golden liquid and putting it down on the long table. "Help yourself."

Everyone drifted towards the seat nearest to them, and soon Dawn found herself sitting along the side of the long dining table, directly across from Cal. To her left was Ruth, sitting at the end of the table and tucking in a napkin, while on her right was Mary.

The table before them was about twice as long as it was wide and absolutely covered in dishes. Dawn spotted mashed potatoes and gravy next to the roast, soup, a block of cheddar, sautéed greens, and, inexplicably, a delicate silver platter of Kraft mac and cheese. Cal was raiding the basket of freshly baked bread and handed her a fragrant roll, still hot.

Dawn let the bread warm her fingers before taking a tentative bite. Rich flavor bloomed across her mouth, and she didn't even care that it almost burned her tongue.

To her left, Ruth cleared his throat, prompting her to turn and stare awkwardly with a mouthful of bread. Shit, did they usually say grace?

Rising elegantly from his seat, Ruth raised his chalice. "A toast, to good food and even better company," he winked at her and flashed a mischievous grin.

Dawn found that Cal had filled their glasses already, and she gratefully raised her cup and joined the chorus of agreement.

For the next minute or so, the table was comfortably silent as everybody loaded their plates, and even Cal was more focused on shoveling mashed potato onto his plate and then immediately into his mouth than talking. Dawn quietly set her knife aside after seeing Mary wrench a leg off the roast with her hands.

Once everyone's plates and stomachs were no longer quite so empty, conversation began to inevitably bubble up.

"You've grown so much, Cal," Ruth said proudly. "I remember last time you still needed cushions to make it to the table."

Cal choked a little in surprise. "I wasn't that small, was I? I remember it was just one cushion."

"He didn't want to sit in his mother's lap anymore," Mary shared conspiratorially with her. "Charlotte was so proud of her little man acting all grown up."

"Is that so, Callie?" Dawn teased.

Ruth and Mary burst into laughter, and Cal made a face at her.

"I know it's been a long time, but I still do rather miss her," Mary sighed.

"Hardly a surprise," Ruth snorted. "She was always Yellow's better half. It's thanks to her that Cal came out as well as he did."

"No arguments there," Cal chuckled. "Although, I had been meaning to ask at some point why you call him that."

Ruth smiled and shook his head. "That goes all the way back to when we first met. Now the reason it stuck is because of the river, and because the bastard still won't tell me his name. Speaking of which, where do you reckon he is now? I haven't heard from him in a while."

Dawn idly zoned out, watching the chatter and listening contentedly, basking in it all.

Ruth shared news he had heard and gossip he had picked up on. Mary described the struggle and frustration of an uncooperative spell. Cal animatedly recounted a memory in the greenhouse from his point of view.

At some point, she noticed Ruth casting a meaningful glance at Mary, who looked her way, and the chatter quickly slowed down. She looked around the table to see everyone gazing back at her.

"Huh?"

"Oh, Dawn," Mary murmured.

That was when she realized she was crying.

Across from her, Cal stared back, confused and concerned, mouth hanging open with half-formed words. Mary pulled her chair next to Dawn and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, dear?"

Of course. Of course she was. She was better than fine, she was great. She was…

Dawn met Mary's eyes and shook her head

The thawing ice gave away and Dawn plunged through into the frigid waters below. Her vision blurred and breathing became a struggle. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out at first, until suddenly, a dam broke.

"I— I can't— oh God— my mom is— mom is probably so worried— I forgot— I didn't even— and dad— they don't know— and I didn't— I haven't even thought about— about them at all—"

She gasped desperately for breath.

"Why am I— I don't— such a terrible daughter— I should have— I shouldn't have—"

Mary stroked a hand down Dawn's back and opened her arms, and Dawn slumped into her shoulder. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and then broke again when Mary's hand started softly rubbing her back.

As she cried, Dawn dimly noticed Ruth laying a hand on Cal's shoulder. He stood, staring, distraught and helpless, with his hands clenched uselessly at his sides. Ruth gently squeezed his shoulder, and after another long pause, Cal turned and reluctantly followed him out, lingering at the doorway before finally disappearing.

Mary's hand circled over her back softly, tracing large, soothing circles as Dawn clung to her. "It's not your fault, dear. Let it out, let it all out," Mary said softly.

"I'm sorry— I don't—" Dawn hiccupped.

"I know," murmured Mary.

And Dawn believed her.

"You've been so brave," Mary whispered with the slightest tremor. "It's ok now."

Dawn gulped down another breath and let loose a shuddering sob.

"It's ok now."

And Dawn believed her.