《Entangled》


 Prologue

    Life was pretty good for Sam Speakman.


    He was about to turn in his final paper. Sixty-three pages on quantum information theory, stored in a three ring binder and carefully placed in his bag.


    But Sam was worried. Not about the paper, or any of his other schoolwork, of course. That much he was confident about. After he passed this class, he was guaranteed to graduate with at least a 3.63 cumulative GPA, collect his bachelor¡¯s degree in theoretical physics and do... something.


    He didn¡¯t really know what one exactly did with a degree in theoretical physics. Sam wasn¡¯t much of a planner. He let computers and other people do all the long term thinking for him. Sometimes it didn¡¯t work out, but so far, he had enough of a support system to focus on his studies in the present.


    College planning didn¡¯t really help him with the rest of his life. Maybe he could hire a life coach, but that requires money first and he definitely doesn¡¯t have a job yet. Which he doesn¡¯t know anything about. That was definitely step one. Figure out what theoretical physics is useful for.


    However, none of this information, or lack of it, was helping him navigate the physics department. His professor¡¯s office was upstairs, and of course, the elevator was out of order. The elevator was always out of order, and the college couldn¡¯t afford to fix it. It was possibly a bad idea to have gone to the local university, but they strangely had the program he was looking for, and he wasn¡¯t really paying attention to the details when he accepted.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Sam wasn¡¯t very good with directions. Sure, he could use Google Maps, but he couldn¡¯t really remember anything spatially. So, every time he visited his professor¡¯s office, he had to study the map, and follow every sign, but he still got lost. Every time. At least he remembered what floor it was on.


    He found the stairs after walking in a circle at least three times, and started carefully walking up the stairs. These stairs were cursed. Every time Sam climbed them, no matter how carefully he did, he always tripped. No one else did. He watched people climb them up and down for hours, once, just to prove his theory. It was always the second to last step, too. He had even tried skipping that step, but his foot always caught on it, as if it grew taller just to trip him.


    He always held his hands out while climbing the stairs. When he reached the death stair, he braced himself, and stepped. It always hurt, but he¡¯s gotten better at catching himself over time. As he was falling, he thought more about what he was going to do after graduation. It might be possible to find work in a lab, or he could go back to school for electrical engineering, as many large businesses will pay money for engineers with expertise in quantum mechanics.


    Shouldn¡¯t he have hit the ground by now? It felt like he had been falling for a lot longer than normal. Sam focused back on his surroundings, shelving his internal monologue about job prospects for after he landed.


    Strange. He couldn¡¯t remember the landing being green before. Or it being so far away. He was only 1.7 meters tall, after all.


    Is that... grass?


    Since when did the physics department have¨C

 Chapter 1

    Something wasn''t right.


    Sam couldn''t quite put his finger on it, but something about that fall was different than any of the other times he''s tripped.


    Something about the taste of grass, or the smell of the earth.


    Something about the fact that this fall hurt way more than the last time.


    He decided to lay there a little longer. Surely, he''ll wake up on the landing, walk to his professor''s office, and turn in his paper, forgetting all of his escapades in the middle of a field. He even tried closing his eyes.


    It didn''t work. After a few more minutes of high-intensity prostration, Sam finally decided that he should do something else. As it turns out, it tastes a lot less like grass when one simply turns himself over.


    Sam could just see the sun rising over the edge of the hole. That''s definitely a good sign. There is still one sun. Thinking back on all his fond memories of the sun, he suddenly realized how few he had. The sun was rather destructive to his pale skin, meaning this was very much a bad day to be outside. He realized he should probably find out where he was.


    "Oh, well. I should probably find out where I am."


    Sitting up, Sam looked around him. There was quite a lot of grass. If he could digest grass, this would certainly be a good place to live. Alas, he cannot.


    He observed his surroundings a little more. Slowly recovering from staring at the sun, he found himself to be in a hole. The hole was suspiciously sized, as he fit perfectly in it while laying down. However, his current position wasn''t anymore helpful at determining where he was, so he stood up.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    It took a few tries to finally stand. He still felt a little out of it after the fall. Usually, that would be normal, but it was unsettling to Sam. It felt a little too real.


    No longer on the ground, his new vantage point finally let him see out of his hole. He could see a lot farther, now. In fact, he could finally see the boot in his face.


    <hr>


    Sam once again lay down in the hole. At this point, he was quite content to live in his hole. It didn''t help that there was currently a full grown man sitting on top of him, but he could probably look past that, given enough time.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t get much time to think about how comfortable using someone as a blanket could be before said someone spoke.


    "Ah, bloody hells. Who left this hole here? I thought we had filled all of the damn potholes since last time!"


    Sam was speechless. He was breathless.


    Sam was a lot of things, really, but most importantly, he was not happy with this new invasion of his home. Plus, he couldn¡¯t breathe.


    "Hey...could you...get...off...my chest?"


    The man looked down in surprise. He wasn''t really expecting there to be anything in this hole, although he wasn¡¯t paying attention in the first place.


    "Oh! Sorry!" he said, getting off of Sam''s chest. They stood in the hole at opposite ends, while Sam takes a few deep breaths after being a chair. Or maybe a couch. Couch sounded a lot nicer, considering there wasn''t really such a thing as an uncomfortable couch. Chairs, on the other hand, include things like fold-up chairs, who''s purpose is purely for convenience, not comfort. Sam couldn''t imagine that life for himself. He was always a comfort sort of person.


    ¡°W-where am I?¡± Sam asked. The man¡¯s clothes looked hand-made, a stark contrast to the mass produced clothing Sam was used to.


    "We''re in the Cerima Plains, near my home in Fairsend. Were you planning on going there? I''d be willing to accompany you, if you wish," the man said.


    ¡°All right... My name is Sam. What¡¯s yours?¡± Sam reached his hand out, hoping they still shook hands. Sam had a peculiar feeling there were a lot of things in this world he couldn¡¯t count on.


    Luckily, this was one thing on which he could. The man shook his hand with a smile on his face. ¡°Hi! My name¡¯s Perrin,¡± he replied. ¡°Now that we¡¯re acquainted, it¡¯s as good a time as any to get out of this hole.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Sam rarely asked questions in class. He had few friends to study with, and wasn¡¯t one to make new friends either. He was pretty sure the internet didn¡¯t exist here. And so, Sam¡¯s life had to change. Immediately.


    Sam made a friend. Or, rather, an acquaintance, although he didn¡¯t quite know what the difference was between the two. Sure, he knew what the words meant, but he wasn¡¯t sure when an acquaintance became a friend, so he often called everyone a friend, so as to not offend.


    This didn¡¯t mean he treated all of his ¡°friends¡± the same way. Some he trusted more than others. For example, few of his friends knew exactly how much he overthought, although he suspected some of the others could guess why he seemed so awkward. The only time he rarely had to think, of course, was when he was talking about math, or physics. Something about mathematical certainty allowed him utter confidence in what he knew that clearly showed in how he spoke.


    He had been spending way too long thinking about himself, as always. Perrin was looking at him as if he was waiting for Sam to say something, but Sam could tune out anything while he was in his own head. A useful tool when studying, but not while attempting to hold a conversation. He quickly refocused on the world around him, the wind gently blowing his ears out as he paid attention. ¡°Can you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°I asked you where you were from. Your clothes are... expensive. Are you a noble? I wasn¡¯t sure if I should call you m¡¯lord, but you didn¡¯t announce yourself so I assumed you wouldn¡¯t care,¡± said Perrin, his eyes darting between Sam¡¯s face, his bag, his clothes, the hole in front of them, and finally resting back at Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Although if I offended you by assuming, m¡¯lord, I apol¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not a... noble. Just call me Sam, or Samuel, whichever you prefer. And... I feel as though you wouldn¡¯t know where I am from, even if I told you. I don¡¯t recognize anything here.¡± Nobles? That was definitely not something he remembered ever existing on Earth, except as a vestigial remnant of empires long past, other than a few exceptions. The ruling party in Saudi Arabia was still a pri¡ª he was doing the thing, again.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°¡ªon¡¯t know where you¡¯re from, you must be from really far away. I¡¯ve only ever been to Stark, before, and the city isn¡¯t even close to some of the other cities I¡¯ve heard of. Supposedly, there¡¯s a port city with 40,000 people! I don¡¯t believe it, but maybe it¡¯s true. Stark holds over a thousa¡ª¡± Perrin paused, confused. ¡°...If you¡¯re not from nearby, how exactly did you end up here?¡±


    How exactly, indeed. Sam had been avoiding that line of thought, as he often did. ¡°I-I...¡± he sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s definitely an issue, but for another time. Let¡¯s get out of this field! I¡¯m hungry. Are you?¡± asked Perrin, walking toward the hill.


    ¡°S-sure. I¡¯ll be right behind you,¡± said Sam.


    ¡°This is the road to Stark. You¡¯ll probably want to take a wagon there, unless you feel like walking for a few hours,¡± said Perrin. He set a quick pace to the left, leaving Sam to scramble over the hill after him.


    ¡°About how far is it to Fairsend, exactly? I, uh, don¡¯t really exercise much,¡± asked Sam.


    ¡°It¡¯s only about a five minute walk, I¡¯d say, but we can take a break if m¡¯lo¡ªyou¡¯d like. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s much to do except chores there.¡±


    ¡°I think I can walk that far, at least.¡± Sam remembered it raining when he entered the physics department, but he couldn¡¯t see a single cloud.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in Kansas anymore, Toto,¡± he muttered, the thought of adventure crossing his mind.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Perrin furrowed his brow and looked back at Sam.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I''m just talking to myself.¡±


    ¡°All right then,¡± said Perrin. The two finished the walk in silence, while Sam somehow found, and subsequently tripped on, every rock and hole on the way to Fairsend.


    When Sam and Perrin finally reached the town, Sam looked up as he walked through the gate. He was greeted with a carved wooden sign that simply said:


    ????????


    ¡°Well, fuck,¡± replied Sam.

 Chapter 3

    Perrin set a quicker pace once they arrived in the village. For how small it was, the houses were packed close together, giving Sam a claustrophobic feeling. He was reminded of the dark alleys near his apartment, too small for even a car to fit through, but the right size for a person to hide.


    The cobblestone streets were still lit by the sun overhead, but as he stumbled past people wandering the streets, desperately trying to keep up with Perrin, Sam still wasn¡¯t comfortable.


    ¡°Perrin!¡± he huffed, reaching the intersection where he last saw his new friend before he disappeared down some street. There¡¯s that word again. Friend. Something good, in all of this God-forsaken¡ª


    Actually, didn¡¯t Perrin say ¡®gods¡¯? No, wait, he had said ¡®hells¡¯. Why are there hells, plural? That¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to ask about later. Speaking of Perrin, wasn¡¯t he somewhere around here? Sam shook his head, refocusing on the world around him.


    ¡°¡ªam? Sam! Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just got lost in my thoughts again. I¡¯m still processing most of... this.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t responding to anything. You were just staring.¡± Perrin shuddered. ¡°Do you do that a lot? It¡¯s a bit... scary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. You were walking so fast that I lost you, and I got distracted by something you had said back when¡ª¡± Sam paused and looked at Perrin. He really was disturbed. I guess I¡¯ll have to work on that... habit... of mine, if I don¡¯t want to scare off my friend. ¡°Anyways, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you to the inn. You do plan on staying here, right?¡± He started walking, slower than before. Sam walked beside him as they talked.


    Considering I don¡¯t think I have any money, ¡°Is there anywhere I can stay for... free?¡±


    Perrin looked at Sam, giving him a once over again. ¡°Why? It¡¯s only a silver a night.¡±


    These clothes send the wrong message. ¡°I, uh... don¡¯t have any money.¡± That much was true. He left his wallet in his apartment before he walked to the college. Not that it would serve him any good now. Silver?


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t have money, I¡¯m sure you could stay with us. I live alone with my ma, and we have a guest room.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Thank you! For everything, really.¡±


    ¡°Everything?¡± Perrin snorted. ¡°We¡¯ve barely met!¡±


    ¡°Hey! I have no idea where I am, and you found me in a hole in the middle of a field. Most of this is on you.¡± He¡¯s even the reason why I don¡¯t have to sleep outside tonight, if his mother is even half as welcoming as he is.


    ¡°Whatever you say, Sam. You¡¯re the first person to visit in weeks, anyways.¡± Perrin grinned. ¡°And you¡¯ll be doing my chores! For what more could I ask?¡±


    ¡°Chores? You didn¡¯t say anything about chores!¡±


    ¡°What, did you really think my ma would let you stay for free? I barely get a break, and I¡¯m her bloody son!¡±


    ¡°Well I suppose I can help. I¡¯m not very strong, though, so I don¡¯t know how helpful I¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly cleaning. My ma can¡¯t do it herself, with her back ¡®n¡¯ all.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll do whatever I can. Lead the way.¡±


    The pair walked for a few more minutes before stopping in front of a two story house. ¡°Here we are! Home sweet home.¡± Sam¡¯s eyebrow raised as he looked at Perrin. All of the houses they had walked by had only been one story. ¡°My father left us a small sum of money when he passed,¡± Perrin explained, his eyes glossing over for a second, before returning to Sam. ¡°We were able to get a house near the Center. It¡¯s a little large for just me and my ma, but when I marry, it¡¯ll be great for a family.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go in? I still feel bad about asking to stay, but I don¡¯t have any options.¡±


    ¡°I told you! My ma won¡¯t turn you away. She¡¯s a little hard on me, but she¡¯s always been kind to everyone else she meets.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Sam gestured to the door, and Perrin led him into the house. Perrin¡¯s mother came out of the kitchen and hugged Perrin. ¡°You¡¯re early. Who¡¯s your friend?¡± She gave Sam a once-over. Again.


    Sam held his hand out. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Sam.¡± He winced. That sounded worse in my head.


    She laughed, and shook his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Karris. Perrin¡¯s mother, as you probably already know. It¡¯s a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Ma, he asked if he could stay in the guest room, and I said yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him he¡¯d be doing chores if he stays here?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You¡¯d never let anyone stay here free, even if they had money, ma.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have money?¡± Her brow furrowed, as she looked at Sam.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I am, ma¡¯am. I ended up wherever here is, and Perrin found me. I don¡¯t have a... silver to my name.¡±


    ¡°Welcome, then. Your room is upstairs, first door on the right. Go ahead and store your satchel in your room and get situated, but come back down so you can help Perrin.¡±


    Sam nodded, and climbed the stairs to his room. Satchel...? Oh, my messenger bag. He opened the door, and found the room mostly empty, except for a cot against the back wall. He set his bag down next to the cot, and sat down, putting his head in his hands. He had so many questions about everything, but one question was prominent in his mind:


    ¡°What do I do now?¡±

 Chapter 4

    Once again, Sam was lost. He still had no idea what he was going to do with the rest of his life, and it didn''t seem like he would even finish his degree. After he met Perrin, he hadn''t had a chance to think about his future, as he was still in shock just from the instant change of scenery. Now, he had some time to himself, and he realized how utterly fucked he was.


    Step one: make a plan. That was easy enough. He assumed it was easy, considering almost every one of his peers had a vague idea of what came next, and Sam had never spent time seriously considering the next steps.


    Manual labor was never in my skill set, so I should probably figure out if there is a school anywhere. Perrin is surprisingly fluent and he uses ¡°you¡± instead of ¡°thou¡±. Maybe he would know? Sam opened his bag and took out his pencil and notebook. At least I still have some of my things, since I was too lazy to take anything out before I walked over to the physics department. Sam wrote ¡®Find education¡¯ but quickly erased it. I guess I should get the basics out of the way first. I need money. It''s pretty obvious that money is going to be necessary to get anywhere and do anything. And at some point, I need to learn to read. I did luck out that everyone seems to speak English, but if that sign isn''t just a leftover from some age long past, reading will be very important. I doubt I can pass as intelligent if I can''t even write my own name. And finally, I need to get to the nearest city. I think Perrin said it was called Stark. Only then am I likely to find some information on... whatever situation I ended up in. Sam, satisfied with his short term list, wrote it down in his notebook.


    Standing up, he opened his bag again, and sighed. I guess this is probably deadweight now, he thought, staring at the spine of the three-ring binder holding his thesis. This took almost a year to write, after almost four years of school, and I trip once and lose everything. How much luckier can I get? Am I going to wake up from this and find out I missed the due date by one day?


    Why couldn¡¯t I have ended up here with a practical education? Why did I have to pick a useless major?


    What did I do to deserve this?


    Sam felt his frustration fade to emptiness. If this whole experience was as real as he believed, there was no reason to regret his life at home. He had some knowledge of basic technology, so even if he wasn¡¯t happy right now, he might be able to live until he was.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Realizing he¡¯s been in his head for too long, he quickly put his notebook and pencil back in his bag and headed downstairs.


    He could hear Perrin and his mother were talking in the kitchen, and he caught his name a few times. Not willing to lose his sleeping arrangements, he knocked on the wall before entering.


    Perrin was startled, but quickly said, ¡°Oh, Sam! Lucky for you, we''re going to the market. My ma wants us to buy some food for supper.¡±


    Karris held her breath for a second when Sam entered the room, but when he didn''t say anything, she gave no other reaction. Well, that''s not a good sign, if their conversation was something they didn''t want me to know about.


    ¡°I don''t really have guests, and it''s rare for Perrin to bring one, so we''ll be having shepherd''s pie today,¡± said Karris, now looking at me. Is that a sneer? ¡°You''re welcome to find your own food if you can''t eat ours.¡±


    Is that what it was about? ¡°Shepherd''s pie is actually one of my favorites,¡± Sam said.


    ¡°Really? What noble House even serves mutton? Surely they can afford something better than that,¡± she scoffed.


    ¡°I assure you, ma''am, I''m not a noble. And, speaking of which, could I borrow some of Perrins¡¯ clothes? I''m getting tired from all the looks people are giving me.¡±


    Both Karris and Perrin were surprised by Sam''s request. ¡°You want to wear Perrin''s clothes?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much to ask. I don¡¯t exactly have anything I can give you, but I don''t feel comfortable wearing these.¡±


    ¡°All-all right, then. I guess my clothes should fit you well enough. Although, they might not be as comfortable...¡± conceded Perrin.


    ¡°The sooner I start wearing them, the sooner I¡¯ll get used to them,¡± said Sam. But Perrin hadn¡¯t moved from his mother¡¯s side.


    ¡°Please?¡± He was starting to get a little annoyed at this point. Why are they trying to convince me I¡¯m making a bad decision? Sam sighed. ¡°Perrin?¡±


    Perrin jumped at his name. ¡°Y-yes, m¡¯¡ª¡± He closed his mouth.


    Why does everyone have an inferiority complex here? Do the ¡®nobles¡¯ really require this much... subservience? ¡°Would you lead the way? I don¡¯t want to go into your room without your permission.¡± I also have no idea what I¡¯m supposed to wear, but I don¡¯t want to seem so clueless as to be taken advantage of.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Perrin looked to his mother, but quickly ran out of the room.


    As Sam followed Perrin out of the kitchen, he turned and gave a nod to Karris.


    ¡°Good day, ma¡¯am. And please, stop thinking of me as rich. I am in a lot of debt, after all.¡±