A/N: hello all! I've been working on this story for a while now, but I've just recently discovered so. I decided to post my story and get some feedback. Don't be afraid to review, tell the truth, critique me, but no irrational flames, please. ^_^ I dunno how long this story's gonna be, I haven't even finished planning the ending. o__0 oh well.
This is an AU story. just so you don't get confused, the two main characters are from alternate universes. I didn't plan on revealing that till later, but it would have gotten kinda confusing otherwise. (Sorry if the prologue goes slow at times, but some of the slowness is necessary, so bear with me.) So. Read and review, and don't forget to enjoy!

The Door © WindSprite 2004

~* Prologue *~

"They say there's another world," said the little girl as she pushed around a toy car in the sand. The salty ocean breeze ruffled her hair as she added, "behind the door."
"The what?" the little boy asked absently, intent on navigating his miniature truck around a puddle of water.
"The door."
"What door?"
"The door," she said. "The Door. Like in the legend."
"What legend?"
"'The Legend of the Door'! Don't you know anything?" she said petulantly. When the boy didn't answer, she persisted, "Everyone knows about The Door."
"I don't."
She sighed in vexation. "Do you want me to tell you about the door?"
"All right." The little boy pushed around his trucks, not really listening to the little girl. She talked too much anyway; that's how all little girls were. His mother was friends with her mother, so he had to play with her; he didn't have to enjoy it, Mother told him, but he had to be polite. Courtesy was required. Mother always said that. So did his Auntie Magdelan. "Courtesy is a commandment engraved in the hearts of our country," Auntie Magdelan had explained to him once. "Other countries teeter on the brink of destruction because of the decadent ways-but not our country. Her voice had held pride. He hadn't fully understood what she meant, but he did understand that his country was special because his country's people were polite. Mother always told him he was special, her Spechel beiyah, Special Boy, so he had to be polite too.
The little girl stopped pushing around her car and crossed her legs. "The Door," she began importantly, "is a hidden 'portal' that opens up to another world."
"What does that mean?" The movements of his truck slowed.
"It means that on our side of The Door, we have our world, but if you open it, on the other side will be another world!"
"Really?"
"Yes. And my mama says that whoever finds The Door will be eternally blessed."
"What does that mean?"
"Dunno," she shrugged, "but it means something special."
Special. "Who's going to find the door?"
She shrugged. "No one knows. But it must be someone who's really, really smart. Or very, very lucky."
"Where is the Door?"
"No one knows that either."
"Then how does everyone know about it?"
"From the story," she said, her tone laced with annoyance.
"But who made up the story?"
"No one made it up-it's true."
"But someone had to have seen the door to have told everyone else about it."
The little girl paused, confusion written all over her face. "Well. the person who made the door-" Her eyes lit up. "That's it! The person who made the door told everyone else about it! That's how everyone knows! And he wanted to keep it a secret, so he didn't tell anyone where the door was."
Brow furrowed in thought, he slowly said, " everyone knows about it, how is it that no one's found it yet?"
The little girl's eyes sparkled and she leaned closer towards him, whispering conspiratorially, "It's hidden."
"Hidden."
"Mm-hm. The legend says so. 'He who has eyes shall see.'"
"What's that supposed to mean?" He was getting irritated with the little girl's fancy words and phrases.
She shrugged. " 'He who has eyes shall see.' Guess it means anyone who can see could find it."
The little boy frowned as he pondered this phrase. "Are you sure that's not a grown-up expression that doesn't really mean what it sounds like?"
"Of course not," she huffed. "Why would you say that?"
"Well, what if 'he who has eyes shall see' is some kind of password?"
"A password? You make it sound like the Legend of the Door is a spy story. This is real life."
"I don't know," the little boy said doubtfully, "it sounds too easy. If everyone could see the Door, you'd think someone would have discovered it by now."
"Not if they weren't smart. You have to be smart to find the Door. But I'm not stupid-I'm going to find the Door someday. Just you watch. I'll find it someday and I'll be rich and famous and then you'll have to bow down to me and give me presents and."
The little boy wasn't listening anymore. His trucks were long forgotten; his mind was now mulling over a more interesting prospect.

----

"The Door," the man sighed. "The Door. Imagine what it could do to us-fame, glory, works."
There was a rustle of newspapers turning. "This door sounds more like a genie in a bottle," the man's friend commented. "The magical elixir that will grant the inmost desires of one's heart," he added in a mystical voice.
"Lose the sarcasm; this is serious," snapped the first man. "Think of it! If I find the Door-I'll be all over the papers! The news! I'll have books written about me! I'll have-"
"-a head the size of the country and an ego the size of the planet. You seem to be forgetting all those horror stories of those who have gone on quests for The Door before." He paused. "You do know the statistics, I presume?"
"Of course I do!"
"So of course you do realize the risk involved in-"
"The risk involved is not going on the quest at all!"
"Drink some coffee or caco-blend: you're a bear in the mornings."
"Stimulants dull my edge. Just for one life would be changed if that Door was found."
"I still say there's some form of evil behind it."
"Like Pandora's box?"
"Yeah, somethin' like that."
"But don't forget, when the evil was set loose, Hope was also released."
"And your point.?"
"There is always a balance," he said crisply, fingering his necklace, "Good and Bad-you never see one without the other."
There came a derisive snort from the second speaker. "I can destroy that statement in five seconds flat: let's see, go back about eighteen years ago, to the Deprivation-"
"Come now-not everyone was 'bad.' Just the Leader and his officials-"
"And all those that claimed innocence after it was over," the other snorted. "Those fools in the Assembly were swayed, but my grandfather wasn't. He-"
" 'My grandfather said-' 'my grandfather thinks-' 'my grandfather was there when-' That's all you ever talk about."
"My grandfather," the other said hotly, "was an extremely intelligent man. Even when he was thrown in jail for his political preference, he resisted those who tried to drag him over to the other side. He has recounted all these tales to me and I am in the process of writing them down-"
"No one wants to know what your magnificent grandfather knew or thought or experienced!" the first man bellowed. "Now will you blasted shut your trap so I can tell you the plan?"
"Don't you dare speak a word against my Granddaddy Marlenez!" the other snarled. "And what in Gallishaw's name are you talking about? What plan?"
He grinned. "That, my friend, is what I was about to tell you. Be prepared: what you are about to hear will change the world."

----

"The legend of The Door originated around the time of Karlslede II, who rose to power in the late 300's pd. Karlslede recounted his reoccurring dream to his minister, who secretly recorded it on a scroll and sent it to one of his old friends and confidents, asking him to explain the meaning after the Ruler's death a decade later. His friend, in turn, sent the scroll back to the minister a few years later along with his interpretation along with it. Unfortunately, by a turn of chance events, the minister had suffered a heart attack and was lying in a coma when the letter arrived. Around the same time, the 348 Mail Shuffling incident occurred, and the scroll and the explanation were lost to the world for over three centuries. A cockspan after the fall of the Post-Modern Wall of St. DeLain in 514, the legendary Hurricane Mathes swept across Eastern Hyvannova, probably further burying the letter and its contents into the ground, where the Mail Center for Lost Contents burned a year before. Finally, a century ago, the letter was uncovered by the Liyogen archeologist, Norris Baerton, and his team of excavators between the countries of Hyvan and Nova. It was immediately sent to the United Eastern Intelligence, where the Assembly puzzled over the letter's meaning. Eventually, six months after its initial discovery in 625 pd, historians announced to the public that the letter spoke of The Door in Karlslede's dream. The friend of Karlslede's minister associated the dream with the fall of the Other World, back when the Post-Disaster time began. Apparently, the friend of Karlslede's minister knew an old man, near death, who often talked of the Disaster. The minister's friend thought it couldn't hurt to consult the old man and ask him a few questions. To his shock, the old man told the minister's friend in whispered tones about The Door. (See pg. 516 for the translation.)"

Virginia groaned and flipped through the pages until she reached page 516. There was the translation from the Ancient Tongue to four of the modern languages. She skimmed down the page until she found the translation in her native language, Viaquny. She resumed her reading.

"'I was there myself,' the old man supposedly said, 'when the Disaster struck. There was a Door-a door, where the outside world was closing itself to us. My friend and I were near it-when it shut. There was a light shining bright: like the goodness of the Earth receding, and the darkness taking over. We could hear the screams and shouts of our people in our language [note: exact translation of the language is unknown] as the door began to close. My friend and I ran towards the door, gripping it with all our strength, trying to stop it from closing. It kept on sinking farther and farther towards the ground. In desperation, my friend jumped through the now impossibly small crack and slid through. It closed on his foot, and I could hear his screams mingling with friend was back in our world, and I was left in a foreign land, with naught but the foot of my friend as a reminder.'"

"Lovely," Ginny muttered. "I seriously doubt any teachers have actually read this passage before. Too bad I turned down my friends' offer. A trip to the ocean sounds nice right about now."
"What's more important, a trip to the ocean, or your history grade?" her cousin Kayla called from the hallway.
"No one asked you!" Ginny yelled back. She went back to her reading, now determined to finish her homework by the evening meal.

"'No one speaks of the Disaster anymore,' the man whispered, near death. 'It is a painful reminder of how our lives were shattered. I also believed now, when my children, grandchildren, and my grandchildren's children do not know of the awful reality-it is a pain: a pain here in my heart. They should know of their heritage. They should know of the past world.' [See pg. 233 for further reading on The Door.]"

"This is really annoying," Ginny said brightly. "I wonder if the authors of The Legends and Folklore of the Nations of the World know that?"

[Resumed from pg. 516 "Related Readings."] Unfortunately, the man was too near death to tell the minister's friend of anything else. To this day we do not know if the old man was merely delirious, or adding interesting twists to a story that may have been true. No one knows. But the Legend of The Door remains one of the most beloved and intriguing folklore of today's world. [For further reading on The Door see pg. 59, "The Disaster."]
-researched and written by Jennings Tarenton © 744 pd

"That does it," Ginny said, snapping the book shut. "That absolutely does it. I am not reading another darned thing on The Door or The Disaster, or whatever gibberish these people are talking about. I thought history was facts, not a bunch of mumbojumbo from a crazy old man who's halfway to the afterlife and the dreams of some ancient king!"
"Actually," Kayla's voice came again, this time her face appearing around the corner of the doorway, "history is just the different interpretations of events that no one really has solid, concrete facts on."
"I didn't ask your opinion," Ginny shot back.
"Just trying to be helpful."
"Right." Under her breath she muttered, "That's a lie if I ever heard one."
"Hey-you'd better watch your attitude. Aunte got a letter from your teacher the other day."
"Oh why don't you- hey did you know about that letter?" Ginny slid off the bed and silently stalked towards the doorway. Kayla, who was standing just outside Ginny's door, dashed away. Ginny sprinted after her and pinned her to the wall near the staircase. "What do you know about that letter?" she persisted.
"I don't- ow, Ginny, watch what you're doing! You're hurting me!"
"Sorry," she said, not sounding at all apologetic. She didn't release her hold on Kayla. "What did my father tell you about spying? And snooping for that matter?"
"I wasn't snooping," Kayla said, shooting Ginny a hurt look.
"Prove it."
"I wasn't-I heard Aunte Seira talking to my , Gin, calm down, would'ya?"
Ginny gritted her teeth. "You promised not to snoop, Kayla Andannal."
"I wasn't snooping-it would be classified as eavesdropping, actually."
"Kayla!"
"Joke!" Kayla cried, holding her arms in front of her as a shield. "Look, I'm sorry. I won't badger you about your grades anymore, okay?"
"Or eavesdrop?"
Kayla glowered. "Maybe if you'd tell me things I wouldn't have to eavesdrop."
"Maybe if you'd stop acting like such a know-it-all, people wouldn't get the impression that you already know everything."
Kayla's lower lip stuck out. "I don't mean to act like a know-it- all."
"Sure. Of course not."
"Have you ever heard of communication, Ginny? If you'd have told me that I was getting on your nerves, I would try to change things. You just have to tell me."
"I do. I have. You don't listen."
"I mean actually talk to me, not hurl accusations that are only half- true when you're in the middle of a temper tantrum."
Ginny was already tired of the argument. "What are you trying to say, Kayla?"
"Nothing! I just want to be part of the family. Is that too much to ask?"
"Whoever said you're not?"
"Don't give me that, Virginia Kaigian. I'm not a part of the family. Why do I eavesdrop? Because nobody ever tells me anything. No one includes me in any part of their daily lives, or even tries to pretend that they appreciate me-"
"You want me to pretend that I like you? Okay. No problem there. I'm a good actress." The instant the words left her mouth, Ginny regretted them. Kayla's face registered shock, then hurt. Dang. I'm gonna be paying for that one for awhile. "Sorry, Kayla, I didn't mean that-"
"Don't be afraid to tell the ugly truth, Ginny. It never stopped you before."
Ouch. "That was a low blow."
"The truth hurts."
They stared at each other for a moment, at an impasse.
"No other family seems to have trouble with the system. Why must ours- yours? Hannah loves it with my maidre and dare, and my siblings adore her. How come I have to be the outsider? Huh?"
"Well maybe if you wouldn't intentionally alienate yourself." Kayla knew why she was despised. Either she was pretending to be a dunce, or she was ludicrously dense. "It's just that Hannah was-"
"-part of the family, huh?" Kayla snarled. "How could I expect to become part of the family when you don't even give me a chance?" She spun away from Ginny and muttered under her breath, "That's all I'm asking, Ginny: to be part of the family." She stalked into the room that she shared with Lûci-formerly the room Lûci had shared with Hannah. The door closed firmly behind her.
"Touchy, aren't we?" For once Ginny was glad that she had gotten stuck with the smallest room in the house. Both Lûci and Kayla hated the arrangement; Kayla claimed that Lûci was uncivil and deliberately hateful. Lûci blatantly stated that no one could ever take Hannah's place. Neither maidre nor dare felt like dealing with the problem. "They'll work it out eventually. No other family has problems with the system."
Except their family, apparently.
Lûci did have a point. She and Hannah had been closer than twins. Their relationship had surprised most everyone.
"The girls are almost ten years apart!"
"Eight to be exact."
"Why didn't the eldest and second eldest girl become closer, I wonder?"
"God knows. The middle one is a .if you don't mind my saying so."
Stop. She didn't need this. There was always one bunch of gossipy nitwits at every family gathering that didn't realize how far their voices carried. Ironically, Ginny always seemed to be standing at the perfect listening post.
Lûci's door slammed open again and Kayla stormed out. She stopped when she saw Ginny. "What are you doing still standing there?"
"I don't believe that's any of your business. Perhaps I'm pursuing a hobby."
"Hobby?" Kayla shot her a confused looked. "Standing in the middle of the hallway?"
"It's all the rage lately. Books are being sold like wildfire, radio discs teaching the art of 'standing around in the hallway' can't be kept in stores-"
"I should have known." Kayla blew out an exasperated breath. "Where's your maidre?"
"At work. Like she always is."
"But isn't today your sister's art fair?"
"It was moved to Thursday." Couldn't Kayla remember anything?
"Don't take that tone with me."
"What tone?"
"You know very well what tone. You act like I'm stupid."
"Look, I'm sorry. But how come it's so hard for you to remember stuff when-?"
"Try: no one told me."
"Uh-huh. Right." You forgot.
"It's true. No one told me. I may as well not exist. No one tells me anything."
"So why don't you ask someone for a change? How hard is it to say, 'So is there anything I need to know about tomorrow?' the night before? Works for everyone else in the family."
"Whenever I ask you anything about your lives, you all snap at me like I'm trying to pry or something," she said in a wounded tone. "I'm not omniscient, Ginny."
"I never said-"
"Forget it. Just forget it. I don't know why I waste my breath." Once again she stomped into her room and slammed the door.
"And a good day to you too." Ginny tipped and imaginary hat and went back into her room to do some procrastinating before the evening meal.