Chapter 3: Nirvana

                As they went through the mirror, Nadia felt them falling. She opened her eyes, and began to panic. They were falling down what seemed to be a glowing spiral staircase. She watched as strange creatures walked up and down the staircase as they passed by them. She wondered why they had not taken the stairs, but as they approached the exit, a bright light shone into their faces. She had a feeling that she was about to find out why.

                They emerged from the tunnel, into a vast plain of clouds. They gently floated down, softly landing on them. She felt a soft crunch beneath her feet, sort of like cotton candy. He walked forward, still holding her hand. Soft wind blew through her hair, it smelled of sweat pea and peach blossoms. She looked around.

There was a carousel not too far from them, going around and around. There were hot air balloons rising into the sky, their colorful patterns on display for everyone to see. A small blue plane flew by as they walked past. She looked on in wonder as she saw a train fly by.

                ‘Well I’ll be!’ she thought. ‘A flying train, I never knew such a strange wonder existed!’ she smiled as she examined the wonders of the strange place. She looked over at Jiyong.

                “Mr. Hatter, where are we, exactly?” she asked shyly. He tightened his grip on her as they walked past the carousel.

                “We are in the First District of Nirvana: Caelestis.  We have to take another portal to the Second District: Ellesmir. That’s the main District of Nirvana, where the palace and main city reside.” He explained. “When we take the portal, we head to the Imperial Inquiry, from there; we make our way to Jaihran.”

                “What is that?” she asked. She was beginning to become confused. It seemed that they had to bounce from place to place quickly here.

                “Jaihran is the tropical jungle of Nirvana. We have to go there to find Embrie. From there, we shall see.” He smiled at her. She blushed and turned away. He was such a flirt; it was a shame that she was so affected by his charm.  He tugged on her arm and pulled her forward.

                They approached an empty space with a vast expanse of cloud. There, stood a lone circular table with a small silver bell. He lifted the bell, and rang it twice. A number of portraits shot down on strings, and hung there. The frames held portraits of butterflies, of all different species and colors were on display. One in particular, was blank. It was another mirror. He turned to her.

                “Are you ready, Miss Nadia?” he asked. She nodded.

                “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He intertwined his fingers with hers, and touched the mirror. It began to ripple and glow. He took a few steps back, making her follow him. Then, they sprinted towards the mirror, and ran through it.

                As they landed, she could see a cobblestone street. She looked up; the building was much more intimidating than any other building she had seen before in her city. Jiyong swept her along as they headed into the building.

                Nadia was astounded at the sight before her. The ceiling was towering above her like a cathedral. As they walked forward, they dodged golden stars constantly making their way through the building. Some flew left, some flew right, and others floated to the top or dropped to the floor.

                “Wow,” the whisper escaped her lips. Jiyong smiled. Her naive innocence at this world was adorable. He grabbed her hand.

                “Come with me,” he said, dragging her to the middle of the room.

                “What are we doing now?” she asked, looking around the room as the stars shot past them, going over and around them.

                “Just do as I say,” he instructed. He brought her close to him. She shied away from him, uncomfortable with the sudden closeness. He softly grabbed her chin and made her face him. “Hold on tight. When I say, ‘jump’, do it. But don’t panic and do it on time, or we’ll fall, understand?” she slowly nodded. “Hold on tight,” he said, putting her hands around his neck, and tightening his grip on her waist. “Jump!” He sprang upward, onto one of the flying stars.

                Nadia looked down, seeing that they were flying through the air. Her heart began racing and she began to panic.

                “Miss Nadia,” he whispered in her ear. “There is nothing to fear. I will not let go of you, trust me.” She nodded, and put her head on his chest.

                ‘Perhaps,’ she thought, ‘if I don’t look around, I’ll be fine.’

                “Jump!” They went higher, jumping onto another star. She clung to him for dear life, snuggling her head into his chest.

                “It’s alright, Miss Nadia, you are safe. Look,” he said. She shook her head and closed her eyes even tighter. They waited a moment, zipping past other stars.

                “Jump!” he cried. They sprang even higher this jump.

                “Nadia,” he said. “Look up, we’re almost there.” she peeped through one eye and looked up. Past his head, was a giant circular ceiling. As they headed up, the ceiling opened, revealing twisting gears.

                “You’re taking us through there?” she asked. Jiyong tightened his grip on her.

                “Just trust me, Miss Nadia.” He said, jumping higher, nearing the twisting gears.

                “I don’t know about this Mr. Hatter, this seems awfully dangerous.” She said, quivering in fear at the approaching ceiling.

                “Nadia,” he looked down at her. She peeked through her bangs up at him. He seemed concerned.

                “Yes, Mr. Hatter?” she asked.

                “Trust me,” he held her tighter. She clutched his jacket tightly, and gave a small nod. He bent his knees one last time.

                “Jump!” he cried. They leapt one last time, through the rusty gears, up through a dark tunnel.

                Nadia felt herself drop on to something soft. She opened her eyes, realizing that she was alone. She stood up and began to panic. Where had Jiyong gone? Had he left her there? Or possibly dropped her?

‘I knew it was silly of me to trust that hatter!’ she thought. ‘How foolish I’ve been! Now I’m stuck in a world, and I don’t even know where I am!’ she walked forward in the darkness, hoping that she could find at least some sort of door. As she walked forward, she saw a small light.

                She began running, her hair flying behind her. She began to feel water splashing onto her boots. She could feel warm, damp air making her hair stand out. The light got brighter and brighter until she reached the end of the tunnel. She walked forward, into the light, and into the jungle, of Jaihran.

END OF CHAPTER 2