Beneath Two Worlds

By Ruth Easterling

Between Two Worlds is an unparalleled fantasy that relates to love and magic in such a mysterious way. This is the first book in an adventure series, a journey down a supernatural and terrifying realm. A world set in domineering times in an environment of totally different people. A journey that would not only cheer you but get you yearning for what's to come next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ruth Easterling
• Release date: Mar 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224143399

Ruth Easterling

Based in Jackson, Michigan, forty-year-old Ruth Easterling has been writing for most of her life and has always dreamed of publishing a book of her own. Ruth leads a quiet life by reading and working nights. She is married to a wonderful man who plays a positive role in her life. Ruth is a cat lover and owns several cats. She's an introvert and quiet person who would love to travel the world someday.

Book preview

Beneath Two Worlds

Ruth Easterling

Published by Ruth Easterling, 2024.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

BENEATH TWO WORLDS

First edition. March 17, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 Ruth Easterling.

ISBN: 979-8224143399

Written by Ruth Easterling.

Contents

Beneath Two Worlds

Beneath Two Worlds

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3

PROLOGUE 4

CHAPTER ONE – THE GENESIS 12

CHAPTER TWO – THE PAIN I KEPT WITHIN ME 22

CHAPTER THREE – NIGHTMARES 30

CHAPTER FOUR – A SAD OCCURRENCE 35

CHAPTER FIVE – ANOTHER DAWN 44

CHAPTER SIX – UNDEFINED 52

CHAPTER SEVEN – LITTLE MORE 64

CHAPTER EIGHT – HELLO BIRDIE 73

CHAPTER NINE – INSIDE GRAYSON’S HEAD 82

CHAPTER TEN – THE TRIP 91

CHAPTER ELEVEN – CRAZY 101

CHAPTER TWELVE –UNAVOIDABLE PAIN 112

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – COWERING THOUGHTS 121

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – ANOTHER DAY 130

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – MY NIGHTMARE 150

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – UNXPLAINED TRAILS 166

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – SURVIVED TO SURPRISE 180

CHAPTER NINETEEN – BACK TO THE GENERATION 196

CHAPTER TWENTY – TRUST ISSUES 209

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – NO BACKING DOWN 221

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – REST 237

CHAPTER TWENTY – THREE – JOURNEY UNKNOWN 247

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – SOAKING THE SIGHTS 253

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – GETTING CLOSE 266

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX — SAME OLD SAME 278

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN – NO SPELL LEFT UNUSED 289

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT – A WAY OUT 301

CHAPTER THIRTY – LIKE A WIND 320

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE – SLIDE 334

CHAPTER THIRTY -TWO – THE END OF THE BEGINNING 347

To be continued 359

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Writing a book takes a lot of effort, much more than I thought. Despite the challenges, I am thrilled to have completed my book. I want to express my gratitude to my husband, who has been my biggest supporter throughout this entire journey. He was the first person to believe in my idea and helped me develop it into a book. Without his unwavering support, I don't think I would have been able to write it.

I would also like to thank my aunt Shirley, who has been a great help in the financial aspects of this book. She has contributed significantly to the progress of my book, and I am truly grateful for her support.

I am also indebted to Evelyn Moore and her team at Spot-It. She was originally meant to be a beta reader, but she was so impressed with my book that she offered to help with editing and proofreading. She believed in my book and was ready to take it on, so I decided to start the process. She and her friend Sydni have been instrumental in moving my book along, and I am sincerely grateful to them both.

I had no idea how much work goes into writing a book, from editing to proofreading to designing the cover. I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved in this entire process.

Thank you for reading my book, and I hope you enjoyed it. More to come!

Yours truly,

Ruth Easterling

PROLOGUE

Grayson

As I entered the study room, my friend Ella looked up from the maps of our homeland of Fuyaria with a surprised expression. I closed the door behind me and quickly presented her with some photographs of a beautiful woman with curly red hair and brilliant gray eyes. She was walking hand in hand with a man with black hair and blue eyes, browsing in a bookstore. She looked a little sad while he looked distracted, and I couldn't help but wonder what was happening at that moment.

Okay, we know who he is, but who is she? Ella asked, picking up the photos and flipping through them. And what is he to her?

Excitedly, I replied, Jacob was smart. He's married to her. Her name is Sloane Warwick. She is the key.

Ella looked at me carefully and then looked at the photos. Are you positive? she asked quietly.

Positive, I replied confidently, nodding my head.

We can't mess this up, Grayson. The tension in her voice indicated just how important the fact was, and it was crucial. We've been searching for the key for a while now, and one of my leads finally came to me. Without the key-holder herself, the mission would be pointless. She was essential to the whole plot to take Claude and his evil regime down once and for all.

I know, I tried to soothe her. The gravity of the situation was not lost on me.

Get more info on her, she ordered, turning to go and command elsewhere in the study room.

Already ahead of you, I replied, taking out my cell phone and pulling up my document on her, stopping Ella and getting her attention again.

They've been married for four years. He is employed while she is not. She is twenty-six and has one sister and no other siblings. But I dug deeper and found out that she is actually from here. She is John and Rita's daughter. And Jacob is why it has taken so long to find her. He is the blocker, I explained to her, following her as she started to pace.

As the pieces started to fall into place, I couldn't help but feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. We had been chasing this lead for months, and now that we had a solid lead, we couldn't afford to mess this up. I knew that Ella and I had to be meticulous in our planning and execution if we wanted to succeed.

A blocker has the gift of blocking other people from being able to sense them. A blocker can also block someone else, especially if they're powerful enough, and Jacob is quite powerful. His extension of blocking can go for miles; that's how he was able to leave Sloane and protect her from other magical beings looking for her.

A blocker is beneficial if you want to get away with some shady, illegal activities. But they can also be helpful if you want to keep secrets from the people or the government, depending on where you want to go. It is functional but also crosses the line of being illegal, depending on how you view it.

As for me, I'd like to see it as helpful because you can hide people—and hide them for so long that they are probably unaware they have a gift or two hidden within them. The time for it to open up is quite soon, if not sooner, and she needs a guide. However, that guide is not Jacob. And this is where the helpful part comes into play. It is useful to me and my people, who are fighting against our kingdom for numerous crimes against humanity, to snag Sloane up before Claude and have her be on our side willingly. We need her help to stop him from using her to open a portal to Hell once he has all the keys.

Ella's eyebrows went up. That does not surprise me. He was close to Claude. Why he defected, I would love to know. I am glad he found love, but we need her, and to pull her into this world, well, he's not going to like it, not at all, she explained, slowly tapping the photographs on her chin. So, what do we do?

I shrugged. I'll slip the key and note to her. I'll be as vague as possible. Her gifts will erupt soon, regardless of whether he blocks her. She's getting powerful, and I can feel it.

Wait, did you say she was John and Rita's daughter? Ella asked, grabbing my arm, as realization hit her about what I said.

Yes, why?

This is going to be dangerous, you know. She admitted.

Why? I repeated, not understanding her concern.

They were supporters of Claude. Claude will not be happy to find out his supporters had a daughter, smuggled her out of this world to Earth, and then his other much younger supporter married said daughter.

The Ethereal World resides just outside of Earth's proximity. To smuggle out Sloane of Fuyaria, and the Ethereal World to Earth makes sense. So far, we are only aware of Earth. I'm sure there are other realms, and we're searching, but with the ongoing war, it is now complex. And do we have diplomatic representatives on Earth? Not at the moment, no. Earth is not ready!

Oh, I said, blinking.

Well, if you want to call it a war— this war has been going on for a century. Claude and his evil regime have committed numerous crimes against humanity, and my people are fighting against our kingdom to stop him. It's crucial that we snag Sloane up before Claude and have her join our side willingly. We need her help to stop him from using her to open a portal to Hell once he has all the keys.

I teleported myself back to Earth to keep an eye on Sloane. She seemed like she needed someone to watch over her. I couldn’t understand how Jacob, who looked like a worm to me, managed to win such a beautiful woman like Sloane. She was indeed beautiful, but she also seemed sad, and I couldn’t figure out why. Jacob could block his thoughts, so I couldn’t read his mind. He even blocked Sloane, even when he was away, which made me curious as to why he would want to hide her.

I found Sloane lying on the sofa, watching TV. Jacob was nowhere in sight, which meant he was probably at work. I had tried to follow him before, but I always lost him. My curiosity had led me to some close calls, so I needed to be more cautious.

After sensing no danger, I teleported back to my world, which was within Earth’s proximity. We had patrols to prevent bad guys from crossing over to Earth. However, some chose to escape to Earth and live there, which nobody cared about as long as they didn’t reveal their origins or harm anyone. They just wanted to escape from Claude and his cruelty. Even in the free zones, you couldn’t escape Claude as he had spies and supporters everywhere.

Our world was rough, and we needed a savior. Sloane Warwick could be the one to help stop Claude with our help. We wouldn’t bring her in and leave her alone; that would be cruel, especially since she knew nothing about our world. Ella and I would be right there with her the entire way.

I sighed as I walked slowly back to my hideout. I had several hideouts, but I had one that I considered my home. I turned down an alley and walked to the end, where there was a brick wall with windows and no doors. I tapped the windows in a rhythmic pattern, and they swirled into a door that opened into a grand library room with a fireplace and comfortable chairs.

I couldn’t teleport in as I had specifically blocked it. Once I was in, I was able to teleport into my bedroom before anyone could see me. I didn’t feel like dealing with anyone or their questions. Ella was the leader, but so was I. Sometimes, it was a bit too much, having to look out for others and plan around them. If it was just me, it would be so much easier. As one can tell, I was relatively new at being a leader or being with a group of people.

I didn’t ask to be the leader; it kind of fell into my lap, along with Ella’s persistent nagging. She said she needed help and that I would be perfect for it. We knew each other well, so we’d get along great. I reluctantly agreed, and now I felt like taking it back. It got stressful being a leader and having people rely on me for their lives. It could be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes, I liked to disappear, much to Ella’s disapproval. But I made sure when I did disappear, nothing important was going on, and nothing needed my immediate attention.

Before I could ponder any further, there was a knock at my door, and I knew it was Ella before I answered it.

Come in, El, I said, absent-minded.

As the door creaked open, a blonde-haired woman stepped in with a look of deep concern etched on her face.

Are you alright, Gray? she asked, closing the door behind her and sitting across from me, her blue eyes searching mine. I sensed you come in but didn’t see you.

I teleported right to my room, I answered. I wanted to be alone, I guess. I shrugged one shoulder. Things are about to change, and I just wanted to enjoy it. Ella nodded her understanding.

Yeah, I get that. When are you planning on introducing yourself to Sloane? Will Jacob be in the know? she asked, standing up to take her leave.

I stood up to walk her to the door. I shrugged again. I’ve got a feeling sooner rather than later, honestly, I answered her and rolled my eyes at her. Go ask your Seer; she’ll tell you.

Ella saw her Seer once or twice a month, depending on her financial situation. Though I teased her, she still went and shared everything with me. It was baffling how the Seer could see so many truthful situations coming true; it was scary. We’d been in some bizarre situations, but lately, it felt like something exciting was about to happen. However, there had also been some failures and close calls, but those didn’t count.

You know not everything is set in stone, right? Ella said, smiling at me. We can change our fate if we want to.

I smiled back at her. Yeah, I know. But sometimes it feels like we’re just a small part of something bigger.

Ella nodded her agreement, then bid me goodbye and left.

CHAPTER ONE – THE GENESIS

Sloane

I awoke to the cry of a baby creaking within me. I’d hoped to feel refreshed from my brief nap, but it was only a wish. I once again believed I heard a baby crying. Another damn dream! My head ached in thoughts as I slowly turned my gaze around the room, listening. Not hearing anything, I settled myself back into bed, my hand resting on my semi-flat belly. There was no baby.

It’s been a couple of months since I had to go into emergency delivery and endured the heartbreaking loss of our daughter when I was twenty-five weeks along. It was something that began a more horrid type of torture as I was forced by nature to accept the reality that pried on my unborn baby’s innocence—a happy seed planted within me; it was no more, just like a fleeting image.

My bones ached from protest as I shifted my weight on the bed that I barely found comfort in. I clenched the soft blanket that covered my body. It had been a few months since I last felt the warm rays of the sun kiss my face ‘Good morning’, nothing so good anymore. If I close my eyes, then I can envision the sun peeking over the horizon and blinding me with its beauty.

Rolling over, I face Jacob as he sleeps through the night. I knew he was just as devastated as I was for the loss of our daughter, but he still could sleep through the night. But then again, the man could sleep through an earthquake and not wake up. He was also one of those people who was just lucky to fall asleep once his head hit the pillow.

I shifted my body weight in the stiff bed and let out a groan, the fog that clouded my mind dissipated as I was hit in the head with a slight pain not so intense, but I was convinced I needed my rest.

I sighed and closed my eyes as I reveled in the silence and stared as the darkness drifted by till it became dully illuminated. My eyes stared blankly as I pressed my hand before me and felt for my surroundings. My senses dulled as I was pulled back to the reality I found myself in— I let out a quiet sigh and realized that going back to sleep wasn’t happening any time soon. I wanted to do was sleep, and normally, I was able to fall back asleep. No problem, but for some reason, this morning, it was different.

I rolled out of bed and went downstairs to heat milk for hot cocoa. I was never really a coffee person. That shit is too bitter. The added cream and sugar didn’t hide the bitterness. I hummed a little melody as I stirred everything together and wondered what to do with my day.

I recently quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom, but that plan didn't work out. Jacob told me that I didn't have to go back to work since we were financially stable and had paid some bills in advance. However, I couldn't just stay home without any purpose. However , it’s been working well for me. Most days I sleep all day, anyway.

Sitting on the couch, with Scruffy in my lap, purring away, I felt alone. It’s not like I could call any of my friends to come over, they all had kids. And right now, they’re avoiding me. I don’t blame them. What can one say to someone who lost their child? Sorry doesn’t feel like it’s enough, even though for me it was. Sorry for your loss, and Anything I can help you with? would be sufficient for me.

I’ve told them that, but instead, they say they didn’t want me to feel left out for not having a kid when they scheduled play dates with their children.

It’s a lonely world I’m in at the moment. Jacob tries, but he knows his grief, and mine are two separate things since I was the one carrying our daughter. I’ve tried telling him that it doesn’t matter, grief was grief, but he was stubborn in his view.

So, we grieve in our own ways.

I suppose I should find groups for miscarriage support, but… at the same time, it seems a bit daunting. Maybe I wasn’t ready.

Hence, my solution was to hang out with my cat and do nothing most days. I don’t have the energy to do anything anyway, so I guess it works. I was lost as a person, I didn’t know what to do or how to feel. I know it’s been a few months, but the fog was just too thick to find my way back to myself. If that makes any sense. I need a light to find my back within me. But I don’t know what that light is or where to look.

I thought it’d be Jacob, but maybe it’s me…that is the problem. Sometimes, I wonder if I even love Jacob anymore. Then I shook my head and told myself no. Because Jacob is Jacob, he’s good; he’s perfect. He’s so good to me as well. I’m lucky to have him.

Scruffy meowed, shaking me out of my thoughts. I smiled down at the orange cat, as he head-butted me, begging me for a treat. I, of course, caved in and got up and headed into the kitchen to get him a treat. He’s spoiled by both me and Jacob. Especially as of late, like we were treating Scruffy as the child we lost or something. Scruffy, of course, did not mind the extra treats, or the extra attention. He loves it.

He purred loudly as I stood and watched him chow down on his kibble treats and I tapped my chin, wondering what to do with myself for the day. Trying to motivate myself to do anything was hard. My days have just been spent watching TV and dozing on the sofa as I did nothing Depression is a bitch, what can I tell you.

Satisfied, Scruffy gave me one last head butt and wandered out of the kitchen and headed probably to his favorite spot on the sofa. I just stood in the kitchen, unsure what to do with myself, wondering if I was just going to be like this for the rest of my life or if I was eventually going to get better.

Seeing that I fed Scruffy, I was still feeling tired and decided to crawl back into bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, my eyes closed, I was instantly asleep.

Sloane, honey, wake up, came a soft voice, pulling me out of my sleep. I blinked awake and found myself staring into the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen my entire life of my husband, Jacob. He stared back, eyebrows furrowed together, mixed with worry and love.

I yawned and said, Hey, morning, hon, did I oversleep again? I yawned once more as I rolled up into a sitting position. He gestured by shaking his head.

No, actually, I’m waking you up an hour early for breakfast, I’m starving, and I don’t want to eat alone, he answered, as he helped me up out of bed and gave me a rueful grin. I rolled my eyes and gave him a small smile. He knew what my weakness was, and it was him.

Oh, alright, I shall sit and eat with you, my dear. I teased, feeling a bit lighter all of a sudden. I did love him. I should see how he is doing more often. This is an excellent way to find out now.

I followed him out of our bedroom into the hallway and down the stairs. I listened to him talk about making scrambled eggs and bacon with toast, and we also had orange juice to drink. To be honest, that all sounded great, and I’ll try to eat with the little appetite I had, but, and I’m glad he woke me up for this. But at the same time, my bed was calling me back, and I wanted to go back and lie down.

I sat down plates already on the table and a pitcher of orange juice, which he poured into my glass as I sat down at the table. I smiled at him, and he grinned back.

This is lovely, Jacob, I said quietly.

Thank you.

You’re welcome, my dear. I know you’ve been feeling a little more off than usual lately, so I thought I’d try to raise your spirits a little. He answered me with a concerned smile on his handsome face, his black hair falling into his eyes, and he impatiently brushed some of it behind his ear. He’s been wanting to cut it off for a while now but keeps putting it off.

I tried to smile at him, but it faltered. Just the usual, but a bad worse this time. I finally answered him, giving him the best answer I could do.

He nodded. That…semi makes sense. But basically, just not a good day in general? I gestured in agreement.

He stood up and came to my side of the table, leaned over, and hugged me. I hugged him back, resting my chin on his shoulder. Jacob just understood me. Yeah, we do fight, but like everyone else, we work through it and talk it out. We try so hard at the communication thing we do. But we do miss at times or even mistake one thing for another. Jacob was my rock.

I’m a bit better, I whispered, grateful for the hug. Sometimes it’s just the touch that I need. Just a hug here and there helps.

Good, he whispered back.

We let go of one another, and he went back to resume breakfast. The food was delicious, he was a good cook. I gave him a small smile over the food, and he grinned back, satisfied that I was happy and eating. He could go to work knowing that I had a good start to my day. Which I needed to be honest. For the past few days, I’ve just stayed in bed, not eating, and just staring at the wall and cuddling with Scruffy.

I helped him put the dishes into the dishwasher, and he gave me a quick kiss, grabbed his briefcase, and was on his way out the door in the blink of an eye, leaving me alone. I was pondering yet again what to do with myself.

I was trying hard not to go to bed. I was trying hard to fight my depression, but at the same time, I was still grieving, and that grief was hand in hand with my depression. So, it was hard to fight one without fighting the other.

I sighed rolled my eyes, and threw myself on the sofa. I crossed my arms and stared at the blank TV, debating whether or not to turn it on and mindlessly flick through it. I’d just listen to the sound anyway, I would not watch anything, not really. I don’t have the focus or concentration to watch a show. Maybe some music instead would be better. Before I could even turn on the TV, my phone rang. I sighed again, annoyed. Anyone who knew me knew I wouldn’t say I liked it when I got calls. Most Times, I ended up declining and texting the recipient instead. However, I reached over the coffee table to grab it to see who was calling me. Oh, sister, I decided to answer it this time around.

I’ve been ignoring her calls for over a week now, and she is probably livid. I probably should answer the damn phone. Before she comes over! I thought. I wouldn’t want her to see how unkempt I was. I don’t want her getting it cleaned up for me. Then I’ll get a lecture on poor Jacob having to pick up my slack, not getting any time for him to grieve because he’s caring for his wife.

Hello, Hazel, I answered my phone, staring at my nail, noticing a hangnail that needed to be bitten off, but ignoring it because I was trying to stop that habit. But did it matter what my nails looked like? Anyway, and honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to her, but I’ve been ignoring her for too long.

Sloane, hey, how are you doing? Hazel asked, her soft voice somewhat hesitant. Are you doing okay? I didn’t see you at the party for Grandma last weekend. I could hear her accusation underneath it though, even though she didn’t say anything, and here I thought she was genuinely concerned about me. She just wanted to call me out about missing the party.

I winced. I was going to be there; it was our grandma’s 80th birthday, and our family held a party for her, and everyone was invited. I wanted to be there at all cost. I wanted to try to venture out of the house for the first time in about five months; since losing the baby, I’d become a hermit; spending most of the time indoor.

I wasn’t ready for the looks of pity and the question of whether or not we were going to try again.

I forgot to set an alarm and overslept, I sheepishly told her. "I wanted to try to go.