The World Walkers: Taithmarin’s Earth: Sabina: Returning to Earth

[k_a_webb]

It had been difficult when Sabina found herself on Taithmarin, but at least there she’d had the support of other people. Finding herself back on Earth, an Earth that didn’t remember that she had once lived there, was a hundred times harder than that – and she wasn’t exaggerating. She’d only been there for three hours and it already felt like a lifetime. As she wiped the tears off her cheeks, wishing she’d never tried to go home, she tried to work out what her next step should be, even though she had no idea how she was going to survive. Before she hadn’t realised how useful it had been to have someone there to help her when she stepped onto another world. Now that she was finally back where she felt she belonged… realising that her guide had been right, that she didn’t exist any more, was something she wished she’d never had to deal with.

Another tear trickled down her cheek. Sabina wiped it away, knowing that crying wasn’t going to do her any good, but at the moment it was the only thing she could do. Breathing deeply she tried to think, because she needed to find shelter, find food, find some way of creating a new life on a world that she knew she’d need documentation to be able to get anywhere and it was documentation she didn’t know how to get. She didn’t exist. No matter how many times she thought that she couldn’t wrap her head around it. She didn’t exist. Sabina, the daughter of Gabrielle and Reuben, the sister of Christian and Todd, was no more. At least to them, anyway, because she still remembered being that girl.

Running a hand through her hair she started walking. Getting further away from the memory of knocking on the door of her home and expecting whoever opened the door to curl their arms around her, to celebrate her being back, because she’d been gone for years and they had no idea where she was. Instead there was no recognition in her mother’s eyes. She had no idea who Sabine had been before she travelled to Taithmarin. Biting hard on her lip she wiped more tears off her cheeks, wishing she would stop crying, but it had been hard enough before to let go of them and being back… she’d never truly believed the magic of the door had really wiped the memories of her parents, her siblings, her friends, her boyfriend.

Obviously she was wrong, but there was still a part of her that hoped someone might remember her. Although, even if they did remember, they were all so much older. That was when she came to the conclusion that her first stop should be the local paper shop, so she could at least find out when she’d returned to, because then she’d be able to decide whether she should see if she could find one of her old friends or if she needed to do something else, even though she had no idea what that something was going to be. With a destination in mind it was easier for Sabine to push her emotions aside, so she could focus on that, rather than the memories of someone she loved, still, staring at a stranger.

The walk took less time than she thought it would, which was both a good and a bad thing. She wandered into the building, trying to seem nonchalant, heading straight for the newspapers, and that was when her heart sank. No wonder her parents had looked older. It had been ten years since it had happened, so her friends would all be in their late twenties while she still looked like the teenager she’d been when she first stepped through the door that should have led her to her English class. Doing her best to push all of her emotions aside she attempted to focus on what her next step needed to be. Running a hand through her hair she stared at the headlines on each of them, at the tabloids and broadsheets, because she didn’t know what she could do.

Not existing made things… Sabine sighed. There was only one word she could use. Creating herself a new life would be impossible without help, but she had no idea where she could get that help. “Are you okay?” a voice asked, making her jump, and she plastered a smile on her face as she turned to look at the speaker.

“I’m fine,” she lied, wondering her real her smile looked.

“No, you’re not.” The speaker was male and studying her in such a way that she couldn’t help thinking she should have been worried, but being dead seemed better than any of her other options. “What’s wrong?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“About four hours ago I was attempting to make myself a new life on another world and then I found a door that brought me back home, only it isn’t home because no one remembers me.” Sabina blinked away tears. “I have no idea what to do next, but I know that I can’t just walk into the CAB and ask for help, because I don’t exist any more.” She shook her head. “According to my guide I never existed at all and for the first time I can actually believe he was telling me the truth, rather than telling me that in order to make it easier for me to let go of my old life.”

“Even though it didn’t actually help at all.” He smiled at her. “I know exactly what you’re going through. I’ve been there myself, which was why I followed you in the first place, and because I’ve been there before I can take you somewhere you’ll get the help that you need to be able to create yourself a life here, but…” The smile faded. “Being back isn’t easy. The magic affected us for good. Nothing can change that, even though I wish it would.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

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The name keeps changing between "Sabina" and "Sabine."