Chapter 3: Training Begins

Maya woke in her own bed, sunlight streaming through familiar windows. For a moment, she wondered if it had all been a dream—the stranger, the box, the impossible world between realities.

Then she saw the wooden box sitting on her nightstand, and she knew it had been real.

Her phone buzzed. An unknown number had sent a single message: Meet me at the park. One hour. -S

First Lesson

Selene was waiting by the old oak tree when Maya arrived, looking perfectly ordinary in jeans and a sweater. No shimmering eyes, no otherworldly presence. Just a woman who could blend into any crowd.

"Lesson one," Selene said without preamble. "Control. You need to learn to see the barriers without being overwhelmed by them."

"How do I—" Maya started, but Selene was already moving.

"Close your eyes. Feel the world around you. Not with your regular senses—deeper. Feel the fabric of reality itself."

Maya felt ridiculous standing in the park with her eyes closed while joggers passed by, but she tried. At first, there was nothing. Then, gradually, she felt it—a subtle vibration, like standing next to a highway and feeling the rumble of passing trucks.

"I feel something," she whispered.

"Good. Now open your eyes but keep that awareness."

When Maya opened her eyes, the world had changed. Or rather, she was seeing what had always been there. Thin, gossamer threads ran through everything—the trees, the ground, the very air. And in some places, those threads were fraying.

"Those are the tears," Selene explained, following Maya's gaze. "See how they're spreading? We need to repair them before they become breaches."

The First Repair

Selene guided Maya to one of the fraying threads, barely visible even with her new sight.

"Place your hand here," Selene instructed. "Now, think of the thread as torn fabric. You're going to weave it back together with your will."

"My will?"

"Keepers aren't just observers, Maya. We shape reality itself, within limits. It's why we're needed. Now focus."

Maya placed her trembling hand on the tear. The moment she touched it, she felt the wrongness—two realities pressing against each other, trying to merge where they shouldn't. She understood instinctively what Selene meant about chaos.

Taking a deep breath, Maya imagined the threads pulling back together, reality settling into its proper place. To her amazement, it worked. The tear sealed, leaving the barrier intact once more.

"I did it," she breathed, awed.

"You did," Selene confirmed, pride evident in her voice. "That was a small one. They get much harder. But you have the gift, Maya. A strong one."

Questions Remain

As they walked through the park, Maya finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind. "You said you'd been searching for me. Why? What makes me special?"

Selene was quiet for a long moment. "Because you're not just any Keeper. Your bloodline... it's old. Powerful. Your ancestors were among the first Keepers, the ones who established the barriers in the first place."

"I don't understand. My family is completely normal. My parents run a bookstore in Portland."

"Do they?" Selene asked with a knowing look. "Or is that what you've always believed?"

Before Maya could press further, Selene's expression changed, becoming alert and worried.

"We need to go. Now."

"What's wrong?"

"There's a breach. A big one. And if we don't seal it in the next ten minutes, things are going to get very, very bad."

They ran through the park, Maya's new awareness showing her the world coming apart at the seams. Her quiet, ordinary life was over.

The real work had begun.