Rowan (Worldwalker 1.50)

“Part insect?” Lily exclaimed. Tristan nodded and continued.

“They were harder to control. They got loose.”

“Insect?” Lily repeated again, trying and failing to tamp down her culture shock.

“They’re very strong,” Tristan said with a shrug, like that would explain why they were made.

“So is iron. We made a bunch of machines to build our cities.” She made a rueful face. “But I guess they sort of took our world over, too.”

Tristan gave her a puzzled look.

“Forget it. I’m just trying to understand it all.”

“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” he said, his brow furrowing compassionately.

“Yes.” Lily shrugged, feeling overwhelmed. “Is there anyone who can help me get back to my world?”

“Honestly? We thought it was impossible to do what Lillian did.” Tristan sighed helplessly. “None of us has a clue.”

“I just want to go home, Tristan.”

“I know you do.” He moved closer to Lily, and put his hand on her upper arm to comfort her. “But I’d be sorry if you did. I much prefer you to the Lillian we have here.”

“Yeah.” She smiled up at Tristan. “But she’s a hag.”

They shared a much-needed laugh, and Tristan gestured to the piles of clothes. “Pick whatever you’d like. We should hurry.”

Lily started shuffling through the clothes, looking for something that might fit her. There was only one pair of pants that looked about her size. While she tried on the buttery soft leather-like jackets, Tristan found her a shirt. Lily touched it, noticing that it was made of something like linen.

“Is it okay for me to take this?” she asked, aware that he was choosing something expensive for her.

“Of course,” he replied, giving her a funny look. “You can have anything you want.”

The whole way down to the lake, Lily worried that Tristan had given her the linen shirt because of some misguided belief that she, like Lillian, had the right to certain privileges that others didn’t. Lily didn’t believe in elitist nonsense like that. It bothered her so much that she stopped Tristan, turning him around to face her, as they reached the shoreline.

“I’m not a lady, you know,” she blurted out. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she wondered if that statement implied the same thing here as it would in her world. “What I mean is, I’m not entitled to any kind of special treatment. In my world, I’m just an ordinary girl. Well, mostly ordinary.”

Tristan looked surprised at first, and then pleased. He tilted his head down closer to hers, moving slowly. For a moment, Lily wondered if he was going to kiss her, but he stopped a teasing distance away from her mouth. “I don’t think you could be considered ordinary in any world,” he said.

He was flirting with her, she realized, and she immediately felt suspicious. Not because he was technically her guard and she was his prisoner, but because flirting came too easily to him. Just like it did to her Tristan. She took a step away from him.

“I thought you wanted to clean up?” he asked after an awkward pause.

“That’s the plan.”

“Well, go ahead.”

“Aren’t you going to give me some privacy?” she asked incredulously.

“Can’t. Wouldn’t want you to run away again, now would I?”

“I’m not going to undress in front of you,” she said, offended.

He stepped back and turned around. “Is that better? I promise I won’t peek.”

Lily stared at Tristan’s back while she peeled off her mangy T-shirt and shredded jeans. Her white Chucks had been on their last leg before she’d come to this world, and after a night of marching through the forest primeval they were utterly destroyed. She quickly stripped off her underwear and bra, jumping when Tristan faked a turn around with his head.

She squealed and ran into the water, shouting, “Don’t, Tristan! I’m totally naked!”