The Society of Imaginary Friends

A burst of energy exploded in the chamber, searing through Valerie like a shock wave. The symbols covering the walls of the launch chamber pulsated, glowing even more brightly. Then the air shimmered and the symbols seemed to peel off the stones, cascading closer and closer to her, surrounding her in a blue bubble of light. She floated a few feet off the floor in the exact center of the room. Bathed in the blue light and effortlessly hovering in the air, she was completely at peace, ready to be reborn.

But unexpectedly, the vibrating power of the magic that filled the room caused the ancient stones, now weakened without the magic of the symbols to reinforce them, to tremble. The whole room began to shake violently. One of the stones in the ceiling crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces. The last thing that Valerie saw before she was launched into space were dozens of rocks jarring loose as the room collapsed into itself.

Thai told her later that he saw a flash of blue light shoot out of one of the airshafts that exited the Great Pyramid. But all she knew was that one second she saw the crumbling walls of the launch chamber, and the next she was so far away that she felt like an astronaut seeing Earth from space.

Valerie stared in amazement at the brilliant blue, green, and brown planet that had been her home. No picture of Earth in a science textbook could compare to this. After a moment, she realized that Earth wasn’t getting any smaller. “What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you move?” she yelled at the bubble. Her heart sped up in panic. “Cyrus! Where are you? You promised that it wasn’t possible for me to get lost in space!”

The second that she thought of Cyrus, the bubble began to move again, hurtling her toward the dark patch in the sky that hid the Globe. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the bubble hadn’t been moving because she hadn’t been steering it with her thoughts. Concentrating, she pictured Cyrus’s face in her mind and the bubble moved even faster. The glowing equations moved rapidly in circles around her, spinning more quickly the faster that she traveled.

Because of the sheer speed at which she was traveling, the stars streaked past her, appearing as lines of light rather than individual stars. Line after line zoomed by. Was she moving faster than anything else in the universe right now?

In the distance, she saw a cluster of stars swirling around a dark hole, as if their light was being pulled into the eye of a hurricane. She was headed directly for that dark spot, which grew bigger with every passing second.

Logically, she knew that the Globe was hidden inside that void, but the closer she got, the faster her heart beat. As hard as she strained her eyes, she could see nothing in that hole but an empty blackness. She forced herself to control her panic. She would make it through this, like she had made it through every obstacle on this trip. The hole grew larger. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut as she was drawn down, down into the fathomless darkness.

When she finally dared to open her eyes, the darkness had lightened. Through the blue equations of her bubble, she could see a planet that was more colorful than she had ever imagined. The royal blue and turquoise water met land that was many colors, from purple mountains to golden deserts to red canyons. “Cool,” she gasped in amazement.

“Cyrus, Cyrus,” she chanted to herself as her bubble sped toward the Globe, worried that she might wind up in the middle of nowhere on this strange new planet. She could see that she was coming closer and closer to a light green patch of land, but she couldn’t make out specifics of the landscape as the colors blurred together from the tremendous speed at which she was traveling. Her pulse started to speed up again at the thought that she was going to crash into the Globe at a million miles an hour and be blasted into smithereens, but as if in response to her worry, the bubble immediately slowed, approaching the ground at a less alarming pace.

Seconds later, her feet gently touched land. The bubble around her popped, and she stared straight into Cyrus’s shining blue eyes. She was still clutching the sword she had found in the launch chamber, and she immediately dropped it and threw her arms around him. He lifted her off the ground and twirled her around in a circle.

“Took you long enough!”

She laughed in joy and relief. It was amazing to finally hug Cyrus and to have her feet firmly planted on solid ground. Up close, he was a good five inches taller than she was. In person, he seemed older, less like the kid that she had pictured playing with when he was her imaginary friend years ago. Somehow it hadn’t hit her that he had grown up, like she had, until she saw him in person.

Cyrus finally released her from his warm, tight hug, and she stepped back.

“You’re bleeding!” he said, alarm replacing his joy.

Valerie saw the slash Venu had given her with his knife. “I’m fine. It’s nothing, just a shallow cut. The bleeding has already stopped.”

“What could have happened in the forty-five minutes since I saw you last?”

Before she could respond, a unicorn, pure white with a silver horn, stepped out from the trees. The unicorn met her gaze and nodded.

Cyrus followed her gaze. “Valerie, meet Azra. She’s the only one other than me who knows you’re here. Azra is one of the founders of this place, and she’s been around longer than anyone. And now she’s sort of like, um, what you would think of as the Globe’s president.”

Valerie’s eyes widened nervously. What was the proper way to show a unicorn respect? Especially a unicorn that was president of a magical world? Azra’s eyes twinkled kindly, and Valerie felt, rather than heard, her lyrical voice in her mind. Welcome to the Globe. I’m so happy to finally meet you.

Valerie sent a pleading glance toward Cyrus, silently asking him to help her say the right thing. He burst out laughing. “Relax, Val! She’s cool.”

“It’s a, um, pleasure to meet you, Azra.”

If it’s my title that’s worrying you, I’m nothing like a president, really. I’m an adviser of sorts. And I do hope you’ll think of me as a friend.

Valerie smiled and relaxed. It was impossible not to trust the unicorn. For the first time since she landed, Valerie took in her surroundings. They were standing in a small, grassy valley surrounded by a forest.

“Now tell me what happened to you!” Cyrus demanded.

Azra noticed Valerie’s wound for the first time, and her gentle eyes filled with concern. Allow me to call a healer right away.

“I’m okay, I promise,” Valerie replied, and then turned to Cyrus. “I’ll tell you everything, but first, let Thai know I’m safe and find out what happened to Chisisi.”

“But, Val… Oh, fine,” Cyrus said, unable to hide his impatience. “Don’t say anything interesting until I get back!”

Valerie watched as Cyrus sat down and concentrated. The air around him shimmered, but he didn’t disappear. She knelt beside him and waited in silence so as not to break his concentration. Nervously, she stroked the grass, which was like velvet under her fingers, and watched Azra’s iridescent mane ripple in the gentle breeze. After a few minutes, the shimmer around him stopped and his eyes popped open.

“Thai found Chisisi. He’s going to be okay,” Cyrus said. The tension in her body began to dissolve. “Thai said if any more venom had gotten into his bloodstream, he might not have made it. But luckily, Chisisi knew what he was doing and went straight to the hospital. He’ll make a full recovery within the week.”

“I’m going to visit him as soon as you teach me how to do that mental projection thing. Now, what about Thai?”

“He’s going to stay at the hospital until Chisisi’s fully recovered to make sure that Venu isn’t coming back. Then he’s heading back to Vietnam one last time before he goes to South America,” Cyrus said. “Anyway, enough about Thai. I want to hear what happened to you.”

Valerie launched into her tale, recounting her fight with Venu and her trip through the universe. But one thing troubled her. “Did I do something wrong when I activated the launch chamber? I think I broke the room.”

Azra responded thoughtfully. It was a very ancient portal, Valerie. It was never meant to last this long. I think that perhaps the magic held on this long because it was your fate to take this trip. If it weren’t for you, the launch chamber would have crumbled long ago.

Valerie shook her head in disbelief. How could it possibly be that she, Valerie Diaz, was the reason that the powerful monument had survived for thousands of years? It had to be a coincidence that it crumbled after her trip.

“Where did you get that sword, Val? Did you make a pit stop at the Milky Way for one last souvenir?” Cyrus asked.

Valerie had forgotten all about the mysterious sword she found in the launch chamber. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands, examining it in the Globe’s bright sunlight. “I found this in the chamber right before I took off. It was embedded in the stone floor, like the story of King Arthur. I had to touch it. Do you know where it came from? Was it supposed to be there?”

Azra came closer, her mane brushing the blade as she examined it curiously. Then her eyes widened. That is a very famous sword—the Edge of Pathos. I have no idea how it came to be in the chamber. But I knew its last owner. She went missing years and years ago. She was a friend.

Azra shook her mane regretfully, and Valerie held the sword out to her. “You should have it to remember her by.”

Thank you, that is most kind, but I believe that Pathos was there for a reason. Besides, it somehow seems to belong to you.

Valerie lifted the sword—Pathos, she’d have to remember that—and took a few practice swings. The hilt fit her hand perfectly, as if it were molded to fit her grasp. “Thank you, Azra.”

We’ll find you a sheath for it this week.

Valerie took a deep breath, tasting the sweet air on the Globe. “I’m so glad I’m finally here!” she said, realizing for the first time that it was true. Coming here was the right decision. All of the fatigue and weakness that she had carried with her on Earth had been lifted. She could take on anything.

“Not as glad as I am! Can we take her to look around now? There’s so much I want to show you!”

Yes, if you’re ready, Valerie, we’ll give you the grand tour of our city, Silva.

Valerie’s eyes shone. “I’m very ready.”