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It took a few more days before the matter of Aoife and her schemes were finally wrapped up, and Hope was saddened to hear that her grandmother had committed suicide as soon as she'd been delivered back to Earth. She didn't grieve the woman herself, but the relationship she might've had had Aoife not been so determined to seize her great-grandchild. As it was, she was dead, and while Hope was sad, deep down she was relieved. Now Aoife would never put two and two together despite her memory loss.
James, on the other hand, had not been so easy to mind wipe, and while the authorities' hands were tied, they did ensure James would never make it to the portal between worlds; his image and DNA were broadcast far and wide, and every passenger boarding the train to Pandora from Earth would be scanned rigorously. Hope had faith in the process, but it still scared her to know James still remembered Pandora, and for the next few days, she lived in worry, until news came to her a few days after Aoife's passing; James had drunk himself into unconsciousness, and died on the way to hospital from alcohol poisoning. There was no way to determine if the over drinking had been accidental or on purpose, but either way, his threat was now removed, and Hope found herself breathing just a bit easier.
Emma and Daisy, in the meantime, were slowly losing their recollections of Pandora, but neither had any inclinations to try and get to a place they firmly believed was just a figment of their imagination, but another week passed before their threat was also deemed wrapped up; two Pandorans had gone across the barrier between worlds, and the two women had, so the reports ran, laughed when told where the Pandorans had come from, calling them crazy and threatening to have them locked up. Hope had to laugh when the news came to the mansion. "At least now they won't think about trying anything funny," she said.
"No," Jhansi agreed. "I thought that might cheer you up. And I'm truly sorry it's taken this long for things to finally come to an end. We had to be sure Emma and Daisy would laugh off any mentions of Pandora, and their threats to try and have two of our own committed was the proof we needed. Our people did do full scans of the women to make sure it wasn't just an act, but each has well and truly forgotten Pandora ever existed. They won't be trying any tricks any time soon."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxa7ZWScXc
Hope sighed in relief. "Thank God for that," she said fervently. "I feel as though so much bloody time has been wasted with all this nonsense!"
"I know," Jhansi said, squeezing her hand. "But it's finally over, and now you and your friends can meet the council and learn first hand of just what awaits you. And you've all been given leave to explore the city to your hearts' content. The danger is over, and no one will be coming through the portal to bring harm to any of you."
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Life finally settled down after that for the women from Earth, and they threw themselves into exploring Isonor from end to end, and top to bottom. Nothing was said of the last few weeks, and Hope was very glad to put it behind her as she wandered the streets, gawking at all the sights, sounds and smells that greeted her. Isonor did remind her of Earth in some ways, but always, the Pandorans shattered that illusion. But Hope no longer minded; she was glad Isonor was so different. Reminders of Earth were still a little painful, but now that the nightmare of her attempted kidnapping was well and truly wrapped up, she knew the pain would fade over time.
And there was so much to look forward to; as the days passed, Hope found her old excitement coming back as she wandered the city. Eldon had assured them that the council was coming to a decision about the women from Earth, and he promised that as soon as he knew what it was, he'd inform them. But, he'd added, no matter what the council said, the women would be welcome to make their home here, even if the council officially turned down the proposed venture Eldon hoped to launch. This had put everyone's mind at ease, Hope's especially. She herself was beginning to feel she'd be happy to stay in the city, although the lands beyond Isonor were incredibly tempting. She made a vow to herself that if the council turned down the proposed venture, she'd go visit some of the lands outside Isonor and see what other wonders the planet had to offer. If Isonor was any indication, the rest of Pandora surely had to be just as exhilirating.
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