She shrugged.
I shook my head before taking a moment to look around. I should have been freaking out. I knew it. But instead I felt this great sense of relief. “There must be elevated oxygen levels here.”
“So, are we going with alternate universe? Another planet?” Lucy’s voice was calm. Deceptively calm.
“I have no fracking idea. I’m still trying to get my head around the fact I’m standing in dreamland.”
She snorted and widened her eyes at me. “Did you just say ‘fracking’?”
I shrugged. “I’m trying to clean up my potty mouth. You know, meet your mother, get mouth washed out with soap.”
“And you think ... fracking ... is the way?” She threw me a look of dismay. “That’s effing terrible. Just stick with swearing.”
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “Are you kidding? It’s the best. There are at least three different curses in one.”
She disregarded this with a wave of her hand. I knew how she felt – arguing with a crazy person could get tiring.
“So this is your dreamland, Abbs? It’s very ... green.” She was swinging her head around trying to take it all in.
I laughed louder. Lucy must have been expecting her dream land – shoe stores.
“It’s so wild and ancient looking.” She craned her neck. Her blond ponytail ruffled in the light breeze. “These trees are out-of-control tall. I think the clouds are floating through their branches.” She dragged in large deep breaths. “And this air – ah-ma-zing.”
I nodded. “God, yes, especially compared to the crap we were breathing in New York.”
Dust lived in New York air, like some type of symbiotic relationship. Of course I’d never really noticed until right then just how bad it was.
“Does it feel like home? I can’t believe your mother is here ... somewhere. Think about it, Abbs, you’re not from New York – maybe even Earth.” Her face fell.
I nudged her gently to break the mood. “So I’m an alien from the jungle,” I said, looking around. “Technically, here – you’re the alien.”
Lucy’s expression lifted. She nodded. “Word. Let’s pick a direction and get this show on the road.”
Through the towering treetops, glimpses of the sky shone through. White fluffy clouds dotted around the dark blue-ish purple. Yes, you heard right. Purple. Shaking my head, I tore my eyes from the sky to stare at Lucy.
“Can we take a minute to address a few things?” I held a finger up. “One – it was afternoon and freezing in New York. Here–” I squinted into the sun. “I’m guessing mid-morning and hot, hot, hot.”
I lifted the hem of my shirt, trying to rediscover the cool breeze. The heat was different to any I’d felt: heavy and damp. Drops of moisture already beaded my forehead. I raised a second finger.
“And the sky is freaking purple.”
Lucy shook her head at me. “Purple – seriously, Abby? Have I taught you nothing? It’s indigo.” She sighed. “I might have to get out my color chart again.”
“Purple – indigo – maroon. The important part – the sky should be blue.” I took a deep breath. “And I live in constant fear of having to sit through ‘what color suits Abby?’ again.” I raised my voice in a high-pitched imitation of Lucy.
She proceeded to both flip me off and stick her snooty nose in the air. “One day my skills will serve us well. You just wait and see. And I got nothing with the sky. I’m just going to pretend it’s normal.”
I looked around. We were standing in the center of a jungle that was denser than I remembered from my last visit to crazy town. I couldn’t determine any path through the vegetation. From our compound stash, I’d packed a few energy bars and three bottles of water, but that wouldn’t last long. We needed to find shelter first, followed closely by food.
“Is that a slight pathway through there?” Lucy pointed out a small gap between what could have been two bright green ferns.
That was my guess, anyways. We had no plants back home to compare. And pictures did not give a great representation.
I tilted my head, trying to see around. “There doesn’t seem to be a path anywhere. We’ll have to push our way through and see what’s on the other side.”
I moved first, the foliage hugging close on either side. Once we were past the initial large bushy plant, a type of path did appear, widening enough for us to move more freely.
“How old do you think this forest is?” Lucy swatted away at some small flying bugs as she followed. “These trees are as tall as skyscrapers.”