Crossing Worlds

Hannah woke early the following day, rolling out of bed and immediately heading to the bathroom. Freshly relieved, she returned to her room, forgetting that Rose wasn’t there. She was momentarily startled by the boy in her bed, the pacifier still between his lips, bobbing gently. Just as quickly, adrenaline flooded her veins as she remembered what today was. She headed through the portal today and joined the Amazon world. She grabbed the bag she had set out and began stuffing it. The contract specified that she wouldn’t need to bring anything, but Evan had; why shouldn’t she?

Hannah added a few clothing changes, such as her toothbrush and favorite stuffed animal. She retrieved the bear from her bed; a dark brown, its head slumped after years of loving had aged his filling. The bear wore a bright red bow, and Hannah dressed him in a pampers of his own and a cute pink sleeper. “We are going on a trip, Teddy,” she said with a grin, setting him in the bag reverently. She neglected to add anything else that might indicate her status as a baby; she knew Evan’s world would have plenty of that. 

Her bag was packed, and Hannah glanced at Evan, who was still sound asleep. She quickly dressed herself for the day in jeans and a T-shirt. Although she wore plain white panties, she added a white bra to the outfit before stepping over to Evan. She realized with a start that he would need to change and blushed. She opened her mouth to wake him but realized that he likely was used to just being changed and decided to get to work.

Hannah pulled back the covers just as Evan was yawning and stretching, the pacifier still in his mouth. He opened his eyes and glanced at her as she pulled open his pajamas. “Morning, Hannah!” he mumbled around the paci, barely coherent. He grinned at her as she pulled open his diaper and began the changing process.

She smiled back, “Morning sleepyhead, you sleep okay?”

Evan nodded, laying back as Hannah mercifully got him into a fresh diaper before helping him sit up to get dressed. She glanced up at him, the pacifier still in place. She took it gently and deposited it back into his bag. “You may want to wait until we return to your world for that.” 

Evan blushed, “Oh, right, you are all adults.” he giggled. 

Hannah wanted to correct him, but it wasn’t her place. He genuinely thought of himself as a baby; there was technically nothing wrong with that, and why would she try to change his mind? They were leaving today, after all. She glanced through his bag, pulling out another outfit for him. Before grabbing the matching shirt, she produced a pair of baby blue shorts with a small emblem of a smiling cartoon boy and girl. The shirt had the same characters on it across the front, along with the cartoon names “Naomi and Oliver.” emblazoned above them. 

Hannah looked at them curiously; they looked nothing like any cartoon character she recognized from Earth. Then again, why would they have the same cartoons as her? Of course, they were different! She got Evan dressed, who glanced down and smiled. “Naomi and Oliver!” he squealed, squirming on the bed. They are my best friends.” 

Chuckling, Hannah helped Evan to his feet before zipping up his bag and setting it on the bed, tossing the rolled diaper into the trash. “They are, huh? We may have some time to watch a few cartoons from this world if you are interested.”

“They are my best friends.” Even grinned, “Cartoons would be great!”

Hannah guided him towards the door. Pulling it open, the sounds and smells of breakfast washed over them, leaving her mouth-watering. Her mother was pulling no stops this morning. She entered the kitchen, her mother working hard as she produced waffles, bacon, eggs, cut fruit, and toast and set everything on the table. “It smells amazing,” Hannah said.

Her mother turned to Hannah and smiled, hugging her, “Good morning, sweetheart. Did you two sleep okay? If this is Evan's only meal on Earth, I want it to be good! Go ahead and have a seat.” 

“Thanks, Mom. We did; we slept well. It took me a while to pass out last night; I had a lot on my mind,” Hannah said as she and Evan took their seats. Evan only took a partial hint before remembering where he sat last night. 

Mrs. Greyson smiled, giving Hannah a long, knowing look as she served her a large cup of orange juice, “I would be restless as well in your shoes.”

“Mrs. Greyson, do you have a bottle or at least a sippy?” Evan asked politely, “Good boys, don’t drink from glasses.”

The comment seemed to take Hannah’s mother entirely by surprise as she froze, Evan’s glass of orange juice still between her fingers as she set it before him. “I don’t think we do, sweetie, but let me see what I can do,” she said slowly. 

To her credit, Mrs. Greyson didn’t let the comment derail her for long. She quickly produced a travel lid and straw before affixing them to his cup. He smiled, seeming pacified, and nodded, “Thank you, Mrs. Greyson.” 

His politeness, despite his oddities, seemed to help smooth over Mrs. Greyson’s worries as she smiled. “You are very welcome, young man,” she replied. She was struggling internally, seeing a full-grown man in youth clothing sitting at her table with his makeshift sippy cup. However, simply imagining that he was a toddler was helping, even if the visuals didn’t match what she was used to. “Please dig in before it gets cold!” she added, smiling, waving them towards the food dishes.

Hannah nodded as she began serving herself; Evan grabbed a small handful of eggs and started eating directly out of his hand, making a mess, much as a young child would. Mrs. Greyson gave her daughter a knowing look and a deep breath. It was as if she were saying, ‘You want this sort of life? Are you sure?’

Hannah blushed, taking Evan’s plate and serving him everywhere on the table, adding syrup and whipped cream to a waffle before setting it before him. Evan didn’t realize he broke any social norm as he ate from his plate, getting more food on himself than in him. Hannah took a moment to eat her plate, quickly finishing before turning to Evan as he finished. Her mother stepped over with some paper towels she had wetted, and Hannah promptly cleaned the boy's face, hands, and clothes. The clothes seemed to resist staining from the syrup and fruit droppings, wiping entirely cleanly. “You goober, you are supposed to eat your food, not wear it.” Hannah teased, shaking her head.

Evan giggled, licking his fingers before Hannah cleaned them, his feet kicking idly. “The food was super tasty. Thank you, Mrs. Greyson!” 

Hannah’s mother smiled, “You are certainly welcome; I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She took the paper towels from Hannah and disposed of them.

Hannah handed her plate to her mother, and Mrs. Greyson took their plates and went to wash them. “Thanks, Mom, this was a great meal,” she said.

“There’s my two sweethearts!” Mr. Greyson stated as he entered the room, kissing his wife before hugging Hannah. Good morning.

“Good morning, Dad,” Hannah said, hugging her father.

“It smells wonderful in here, " her father said, taking a seat. “Good morning, bud. Did you sleep well? It’s always difficult to fall asleep in a new place.” 

Evan smiled, “Good morning! I slept very well, thank you.” He stood and joined Hannah by the counter.

“We got an hour or so before we must leave, Hannah. Are you all packed? What are you two going to be up to until then?” Mr. Greyson asked, setting himself a plate as Mrs. Greyson joined them. Rose was still nowhere to be seen.

“I’m all packed and ready!” Hannah reported, “Evan was curious to watch some of our cartoons.”

Mr. Greyson took in the boy's childish outfit and chuckled, “Well, enjoy. I don’t think we have that particular one, but you certainly should be able to find something to your liking.” 

Hannah nodded, and the two left, entering the living room. Hannah flopped down on the couch, and to her surprise, Evan took up residence on the floor, sitting crisscross, eyes already glued to the blank TV screen. “You can sit up here if you’d like.” Hannah offered as she flicked on the TV, patting the couch beside her.

Evan glanced at her and seemed embarrassed! “Oh, thank you, but I shouldn’t, just in case my diaper leaks; bad boys get furniture wet.”

Hannah also blushed, deciding on SpongeBob as she clicked through the channels; Evan had already turned his attention back. He seemed overly excited about this, but she could also see through his body language he wasn’t as enthralled as he anticipated, seemingly almost disappointed as the show continued in earnest. Evan certainly didn’t seem to mind, but he was expecting more. 

Hannah wondered what kind of cartoons were in his world and enjoyed them! As SpongeBob ended, Bluey came on next, a queue she had set up. Once again, Evan got very excited, anticipation building, and then, over the next 10 minutes, he relaxed, looking disappointed again. She wasn’t sure what to make of that; it hadn’t been the expected reaction. Thankfully, though, as the show ended, her father joined them, “Ready to go, kids?” he asked.

“Yup! Let us grab our bags, and we can go.” Hannah responded, clicking off the TV and guiding Evan back to her room. 

Bags in hand, they joined Hannah’s parents out at the car, climbing into the back of their suburban as they took the short drive to the station. The vehicle was painfully quiet, and the parents acted as if they were delivering their daughter to her funeral. They kept telling themselves that wasn’t the case, and the return statistics for the dimension continuously bounced around their heads. 

Arriving at the station, Mr. Greyson took Hannah’s and Evan’s bags as the two entered the hub, beginning the check-in formalities. They were seated at a desk, a woman behind it taping away on her keyboard, only half paying attention as she handed over paperwork for Hannah to fill out. Evan needed precious little as he was a returning Amazon citizen. Each form Hannah signed continued to drive home her worries; these waivers left her with zero protections as a US citizen while she was in the Amazon’s world; she would be subjected to their rules and laws and subject to the terms and conditions of her contract with the school. The school's contract provided Hannah with protections and rights that otherwise would not have been provided. 

Hannah nearly backed out; waiver after waiver had worn her down, her anxiety through the roof. She sat up, glancing at Evan, who was sitting there, kicking his feet, nursing his thumb, and seemingly perfectly content. He looked so peaceful, so happy, so carefree. He didn’t even need to worry about using the restroom. Hannah so desperately wanted that; she wanted that blissful serenity. She hadn’t even realized she had signed the last document until the woman took her IDs, replacing them with an Amazon-issued identification. She took it, cocking her head and studying it. 

Like Hannah’s ID, this one had her face, age, sex, and address, which reflected her family’s address. This ID also indicated she was a Little and, on the back, contained contact information for her new parents, Laura Ashford and Welby Ashford, along with small photos of their smiling faces. She ran her thumb across them, her heart racing. It was happening; there was nearly no backing out now. 

“Miss, why does this ID card state Ashford as my last name?” Hannah asked curiously.

The clerk shot her a look of surprise and amusement, “You didn’t read the contract?”

“Of course I did!” Hannah said defensively, “It was just dense and had a lot of confusing jargon.”

The woman muttered something under her breath that sounded like ‘You foolish child,’ before responding, “Any little traveling to the Amazon world must have parental ownership for your visit as you are not an adult by Amazon standards.” 

“But I-” Hannah began as the woman cut her off.

“By Amazon Standards,” she reiterated, shutting Hannah up, “As such, there were two options available to you: wardship at the school or an exchange program. You both elected the former option, so young Evan is standing here now. He took your family’s last name for his visit, and you will be taking him for your visit. Please make no mistake: while you are there, you are their child until you return. Do you understand now?” 

Hannah blushed and nodded, “Yes, I understand.” she responded, fingering her new ID card.

The woman grunted, nodding,  “Well, Miss Ashford? Are you ready? Say your goodbyes; your transfer window is approaching fast.”

Hannah nodded, stood, and turned to her parents, flinging herself into their arms. They wrapped her in a tight hug, holding her close.

“We love you so much, Hannah.” her mother said.

“We will be thinking of you the whole time.” her father added.

Hannah found tears in her eyes, her mother brushing them away. “I love you both; I’ll be back soon; it’ll be over before you even know it.” She sniffled. Oh, and we’ll be twenty thousand dollars richer, too.” She chuckled. 

Hannah’s father handed her hers and Evan’s bag. She turned from her parents, wiping her eyes, and gave Evan his as the clerk ushered them beyond her desk. Hannah glanced behind her, seeing her parents just as the doors closed. She hoped it would not be for the last time. The clerk stepped up to the transfer room door, the glowing, swirling blue portal inside. “Well, Miss Ashford, this is your first time across, isn’t it?” the clerk asked.

“How did you know?” Hannah asked.

The clerk chuckled, shaking her head, “The portal is all yours, children; may they have mercy on your souls.” she said, ushering them inside.

Hannah found Evan’s hand holding hers, a warm, comforting smile on his lips, “Come on, sis, let me show you my home now.” He gently but firmly pulled them both in and through the portal, swallowing them whole. 

End of Chapter 3