• Quite a while?! She couldn't even give me specifics! Quite a while could mean 2 months, a year, or even 5 years! What would my family think? That I died, ran away and abandoned them? My eyes widened with panic.
    The tavolamer interupted my thoughts. "Don't worry about your family. You will return to approximately when you left, and will appear to them just as you left, no matter how much you change. And change you will, for the better," she said, casting a critical eye on my appearance. "Trust me," she said, looking straight at me, eyes open and honest. "You will come back. Nobody will know that anything happened. This I swear on my life and future," she vowed.
    A pretty speech, but could I trust her? Who would keep her true to her words if she was lying?
    The tavolamers face fell. "I bet that right now, you're thinking that you can't trust me, or believe my promises." I nodded my head. "I can understand that. So, I guess I have to tell you a secret. Not many people know this, but strong tavolamers, like me, have a dissability. Once you hit the fourth level, it becomes hard to tell a lie or break a promise. It's both mentally and physically painful. Me, I can't lie or break promises at all. You will have to get used to that as well. I suggest that you start practicing. But this doesn't mean you can trust people unconditionally! Even if you can't lie, you still don't have to tell the truth! But all that I have told you is true. " The tavolamer said this with much conviction.
    That...was a lot to swallow. She couldn't lie? Or break her promises? What did she tell the teacher when she forgot her homework then? And what would happen if she forgot a promise and broke it? Would she die?
    As if she could hear my thoughts, she made a face. "Crud!" she said. "What kind of excuse won't be a lie to the teacher this time?" she muttered under her breath.
    It was kind of funny, and I let out a small gigggle. "Maybe you could say you were tutoring me?" I suggested. She was telling me about some things. Of course, there was a lot more that was being left unsaid. I struggled to keep my grimace off my face.
    The tavolamer stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Yeah...I suppose that could work." Her face brightened. "Yeah, that will work great!"
    But why should I trust the things she said? Why should I believe it? Did I believe it? Yeah, right I thought sarcastically. But, for some reason, I felt like I could trust her, believe her. Even though we just met, even though she was proposing taking me to another world, I felt like I could trust her with my life. Which it seemed like what she was asking for. "Why should I go to this world of yours?" I querried.
    "For a number of reasons, actually. For one, if you don't...lets just say that a lot of people are going to die. Two, because you'll enjoy it. Three, it will unlock your inner potential. And believe me, you show a lot of promise." The tavolamer grinned at me. "Quite a lot.