The Society of Imaginary Friends

Over the next few days, Valerie relaxed as she fell back into the familiar rhythms of hospital life. She had been here so many times that the staff and other kids were more like family than any she’d ever had.

As she had during her last few visits, Valerie spent part of each day visiting the younger kids to deliver comfort and tell them stories to distract them from their pain—always under the careful supervision of a nurse or parent, of course. It was a much colder world outside of these walls, and Valerie was glad to be back. If only she didn’t have to worry about what was going wrong inside her, she could almost be content.

Because the hospital was currently at full capacity, two other children were sharing her room now, but that didn’t stop Cyrus from visiting her regularly. She did her best to ignore him, deciding that it wasn’t a good idea to indulge her hallucinations, but he made it very difficult. He seemed to take a childlike glee in forcing her to acknowledge his presence. One time, he entered the room on Dr. Freeman’s broad, dignified shoulders, pretending he was a cowboy and the doctor was his horse. He whirled an imaginary lasso above his head and pretended to pull back on reins to slow the doctor as he approached her bed.

She had burst out laughing, and the doctor had examined her sharply and made a note on his chart, which immediately extinguished her mirth. The last thing she wanted was for Dr. Freeman to decide she was dangerous and put her in isolation. So she did her best to stay calm as she recovered.

The next day when Cyrus entered, she refused to acknowledge him, even when he did cartwheels and back flips around the room. After more than an hour of unsuccessfully trying to attract her attention, he finally came to a stop beside her bed.

“Not even a smile for me today?” he asked, sounding a little petulant.

“Go away,” she hissed, not wanting the other two children, Ming and Jeremiah, or their parents, to overhear her.

While Valerie read a tattered old Seventeen magazine that Nurse Beth had brought for her, Cyrus tapped his foot impatiently beside her until the other children were called away for a Halloween craft hour.

On her way out, Ming stopped by Valerie’s bed. “Can I bring Mr. Hopsalot?” she begged, cradling Valerie’s tattered old stuffed bunny in her arms.

“Of course,” Valerie replied, smiling at the happy light in Ming’s eyes as she skipped out of the room.

“Now will you talk to me?” Cyrus asked as the door closed behind Ming.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not real,” she replied, realizing how weird she must look, talking to an empty patch of air. She sealed her mouth closed and decided not to say another word.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? What if I could prove that I’m real? Would you listen to me then?”

She cocked her head in his direction, curious, but didn’t say anything. He gave an exaggerated sigh. Dr. Freeman walked in, still calling instructions over his shoulder to a nurse in the hall. When he turned around, he stopped short.

“Oh, excuse me, Ms. Diaz. I didn’t realize you had company,” Dr. Freeman said, surprised.

“Wh-what?” she stuttered, glancing around her room. No one was there—except Cyrus. Her eyes grew wide, and her heart sped up. “You can—see him?”

“Of course he can,” Cyrus jumped in, giving her a quick wink. “Stop acting like such a weirdo, Val. Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Cyrus.”

“Nice to meet you, young man,” the doctor replied, recovering his usually unflappable demeanor. “Are you a friend of Valerie’s from school?”

“No, we’re old friends from way back, aren’t we, Val?”

She could only nod her head. Her mouth was hanging open, and she made herself shut it. Dr. Freeman held her wrist to check her pulse.

“Everything okay? You seem excited. I’ll have a nurse bring you a sedative,” he said, making a note on his chart. Then, turning to Cyrus, he said, “In fifteen minutes, visiting hours are over. But you can come back tomorrow—or any day—to see our girl here.”

With a quick but affectionate pat on her shoulder, Dr. Freeman left the room. Valerie turned to Cyrus and let her jaw drop back open.

“Oh. My. God.” she said.

Cyrus threw back his head and laughed. “I warned you that I’m going to tease you about this every day for the rest of your life, didn’t I? Guess you believe me now! I wanted to prove I’m real so bad for the last week, but I had to wait till I was sure that you were well enough to handle it.”

“This is awesome,” she whispered, shaking her head. “How is it possible? If you’re not just a hallucination, why can Dr. Freeman see you today, but not yesterday when you rode in on his shoulders?”

“Why do you think? Magic, of course.”

“Magic,” she whispered with awe. A thrill ran through her body at the world of possibilities that one word could open. “But why are you telling me all this? I’m nobody.”

“No you’re not. You’ve got magic in you, too—more than you can imagine.”

“What are you talking about? I have hallucinations, maybe. But no magic.”

“I bet Adam would disagree with you after you threw him into his truck last week.”

“That was just adrenaline.”

“No, it’s magic inside of you, trying to burst out. But because there are rules in place to prevent people from using their powers, your magic is stifled,” Cyrus said, and his smile turned down. “That’s why you always feel so sick after you use your power. In fact, you have so much magic that if you don’t come with me soon, you’ll die.”

Childish laughter rang in the hall, and Ming and Jeremiah burst into the room covered in glitter.

Cyrus leaned close to her and said, “Meet me tonight, on the roof. No one will notice you’re gone with the Halloween party and parade going on. We can talk without anyone interrupting us.”

She nodded once, and Cyrus disappeared.

Valerie was bursting with excitement and questions. To distract herself from compulsively analyzing every word of her conversation with Cyrus, she spent the day helping the younger kids design their costumes for the hospital parade.

“Will you help me glue these jewels to my crown?” Ming asked, climbing onto Valerie’s bed for the third time that day.

Ming was a seven-year-old with warm brown eyes who was bald from her chemotherapy. She had been here two years ago when Valerie had been hospitalized last. The two had bonded then, and over the past few days had easily picked up where they’d left off.

“Of course,” Valerie said, putting aside her restless thoughts.

Nurse Beth changed Jeremiah’s IV and fluffed his pillows, all the while keeping a close eye on Valerie. It stung a little that she was always watched like a violent criminal, but she understood that they couldn’t take any risks with these kids.

Her bed was already covered in glitter and face paint from the costumes she had helped to create. As Valerie stuck the rhinestones onto the paper crown, Ming watched her, and her expression became worried.

“Are you going to get better soon?”

“I don’t know, cutie,” Valerie said, and reached out to hold Ming’s hand.

Ming’s brown eyes sparkled with tears that hovered on the edge of her eyelids, ready to spill over. Not wanting to upset her any further, Valerie whispered, “I’ll tell you a secret.”

Ming looked up hopefully. “What is it?”

“I might be leaving soon, with someone who has magic that can make me better.” Out of the corner of her eye, Valerie saw Nurse Beth shake her head sadly at her words.

“Is it a prince? Will he make you his princess?” Ming asked.

“No, I won’t be a princess. But maybe I’ll have some magic of my own. That’s way better than having to rely on someone else, don’t you think?”

“I don’t want you to go. I’d miss you,” Ming cried softly, interrupting her thoughts.

“I would miss you, too.”

Ming was quiet for a moment, then brightened and said, “But I want you to be happy. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

At seven o’clock that night, when all the kids were racing around in their costumes, playing games, and eating candy, Valerie braided her long hair and slipped into a ghost costume made from an old white bed sheet.

As she glided down the hall toward the stairwell that led to the roof, Valerie had to smile at how cute all of the kids looked. They ran around, playing and shouting together. Joey, dressed as Spiderman, led a parade of kids down the hall from his wheelchair. The sound of how full of life they were reminded her that she wasn’t the only one with real troubles.

Rounding the corner, Valerie almost crashed into a medical assistant with spiky brown hair. Their eyes met, and she gasped when she saw that his were an eerie yellow. Sanguina and Yellow-Eyes had never found her so quickly before. Terror filled her with a cold paralysis. She forced herself to take a deep breath and remember that she was hidden under her sheet. Maybe he wouldn’t guess who she was. She managed to give a little wave as if she was one of the kids enjoying the Halloween party.

The corner of the man’s mouth turned up in a snarl, and he said, “I know it’s you.” She took a step back, frightened, and the lights in the hospital went out.

She heard the excited squealing of the children at the sudden darkness. “Ooo! It must be a ghost!” Jeremiah shouted, and his friends roared with laughter. Part of her wanted to run down the hall to the safety of the children’s party. But another, bigger part of her was tired of running.

“You’re awfully far from your bed, little girl,” her tormentor growled. Goosebumps rose on Valerie’s arms at the slimy familiarity of his voice. “Bad things could happen to you out here.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said, proud that she was able to keep her voice from trembling. The lights flickered on, and she gasped at the hatred in his eyes.

“Then I’ll just have to prove it to you. You’re not getting away from me again,” he said, taking a step closer.

She reached out to push him away, her heart slamming inside her chest. But her hands went right through him, just like they did with Cyrus. Her fear diminished slightly. “Guess you won’t be hurting me tonight.”

Valerie heard footsteps, and she saw Dr. Freeman walking briskly down the hall. He paused and addressed Yellow-Eyes. “We need to re-stock the gauze in the exam rooms on the second floor. And check the backup generator to make sure it’s working—the lights shouldn’t have gone out for more than a few seconds.”

Her tormentor gritted his teeth. “Yes, sir.”

“I haven’t seen you here before. What’s your name?”

“Uh, Bill Smith. I’ll get that gauze for you right away,” Yellow-Eyes said, and then rushed down the hall before the doctor could question him further.

“Bill Smith,” Dr. Freeman said to himself, making a note on the pad of paper he always carried with him. Then his face softened as he turned to Valerie. “You better hurry and join the parade, little guy.”

Then Dr. Freeman left without realizing that it was Valerie under the sheet. She was so stunned that she stood frozen, processing the implications of what had happened. Dr. Freeman had seen Yellow-Eyes, plain as day. Yellow-Eyes wasn’t a hallucination any more than Cyrus had been. And the doctor wasn’t the only one to interact with her tormentors. Hadn’t Daniel talked to Sanguina? And there had been others, too, now that she thought about it.

Why had she never questioned Sanguina’s sudden appearances and disappearances more? It was as if her mind couldn’t process that there was an explanation other than some strange manifestation of paranoia and schizophrenia. But now she knew there was. Magic.

Valerie’s mind was racing as she headed down the hall toward the exit sign. She fumbled with the knob of the door to the stairwell and then hurried up the steps, taking them two at a time. When she opened the door to the roof and stepped out, she immediately pulled off her costume, which was suffocating her. The cold night air calmed her hot face, and her heartbeat slowed.

The sight of the glittering night sky cleared the last wisps of fear from her mind. The stars shone brightly, all traces of clouds from the days before gone. It seemed like a good omen.

“Cy?” Valerie called softly.

“Boo!” Cyrus said mischievously in her ear.

She didn’t flinch. “Took you long enough,” she said with a little grin.

Cyrus laughed. “I’m guessing you don’t have a lot of time, so quit yapping and let me tell you what you need to know. But hear me out, okay? I know this is going to stretch the limits of believability for you, but I’d hate for you to look like a dork for not trusting me yet again.”

Valerie would have given him a shove if he’d was next to her for real, but she had to settle for briefly sticking out her tongue. “I’m listening.”

“Thousands of years ago, some people on Earth started developing, like, special powers. Or maybe there were always Conjurors—creatures like us with magic in their blood.”

“No way,” she said, and then reminded herself that she had promised to listen. “Sorry, go ahead.”

“Some of these Conjurors banded together because they thought that they should be able to rule over everyone else. They called themselves the Fractus, and they flooded the entire world to prove how powerful they were. They wanted to terrify ordinary humans into never disobeying them—basically turning them into slaves.”

“But I guess they didn’t win, ’cause as far as I know, no one today is bowing before an evil magical overlord,” she interrupted.

“You’re right. The rest of the Conjurors—the good ones—fought the Fractus and won, but it was only a matter of time before they attacked again. So the Conjurors used their powers to create another world just for magical beings. And they separated Earth and our world—the Globe—with a barrier so that no one with magic could ever return.”

“I gotta say, that’s quite a story.”

“And it’s real, Val, I swear it. I’m standing on the Globe right now, as surely as you’re standing on Earth. You’re seeing a mental projection of me. I can’t be here in person because of the barrier. That’s why I can’t touch you right now.”

She reached out to grasp his arm, but her hand passed though him, triggering a memory of what had happened in the hall with her tormentor.

“Does one of these Fractus people have yellow eyes? Or how about a lady with red hair and super pale skin?” she asked, holding her breath as she waited for the answer.

“I don’t know, why? Have you seen someone?” Cyrus’s voice rose with alarm.

Valerie told him about Yellow-Eyes and Sanguina, and Cyrus listened intently. When she finished, he said, “I’ve never heard of either of them, but I’ll ask around. They’re probably part of the Fractus. They’ve been stirring up trouble lately, and they could be after you, too. It’s really rare for someone to have enough magic inside them to have to come to the Globe—you’ll be the first person to travel here in thirty years. They might want to find you for that reason alone.”

“Wait, who said anything about me coming to the Globe? I don’t even know where it is!”

Cyrus gazed up at the sparkling night sky. “It’s out there,” he said.

“You mean, in space?” Valerie couldn’t keep the disbelief out of her voice.

“Exactly. The Globe is in the center of a black hole.”

“That’s not possible. I’ve read about black holes. No one knows what’s inside of them, but they do know that anything that goes in will probably be crushed by the weight of the hole’s gravity.”

“You’re kind of a know-it-all, you know that?” Cyrus said with a smile. “Technically, you’re right. But the creators of the Globe combined magic with all the energy in the black hole to create a planet inside that no one can see from Earth.”

“And you want to take me there,” she said flatly.

“Yes.”

“It’s hundreds of light years away. By the time I get there I’d be dead of old age.”

“That would be true except for magic, remember? Pay attention, sheesh.”

“You really expect me to skip out of the hospital all alone and leave everything and everyone I know—forever?”

Cyrus frowned. “What have you got to lose? There’s nothing here for you. Your magic is gonna kill you soon. And whatever you think of everything else I’ve told you, you know that fact is true.”

She couldn’t deny it. Even though it was hard for her to accept that she had some kind of magic power, she was growing undeniably weaker. Her next standoff with Sanguina would probably be her last.

He continued, interrupting her thoughts. “Besides, you wouldn’t be alone. We’re sending someone to guide and protect you. His name is Thai, and he’ll take you to the launch site where you’ll take off from Earth to the Globe.”

A million thoughts tumbled chaotically around in her head, but she knew that ultimately there was only one choice to make if she wanted to survive. Finally, trembling, she whispered, “So what’s next?”

“Does that mean you’re coming?”

Valerie closed her eyes, but there were no answers there, only darkness. When she opened them again, the sky twinkled above her. “Yes, I’m coming.”