Chapter Two
MyheadspinsasI feel the floor materialize under my feet. For a brief second there, I floated through space, weightless and light. Like flying! But now, I’m facing a large basketball sized room with dark mirrored walls.
I realize it looks bigger than it actually is because of the reflective surfaces, including the ceiling and floor. Everything’s tinted a brown, but it’s a brown glass like surface. Weird.
Behind the image of myself on the wall over fifty feet away, I watch a shape materialize. I spin, freaking out as I remember Alexa describing the horrendous bug-like creatures behind Emma when she disappeared..
But it’s just Alexa and Nako. Although I shouldn’t say “just.”
Alexa is signing so fast, I don’t have a chance in hell of understanding. Nako grabs her hands, shaking her head. “No. No, Alexa. We’re here. We’re together.”
Turning, Alexa sprints for the portal over twenty feet behind us. She’s right! We have to get back.
Despite watching the visions of all our past ancestors traveling back and forth and enjoying both worlds, we don’t have a clue how they did that. And since Alexa recognizes this place, those creatures are... somewhere.
Alexa skids to a stop only ten feet away, spinning around with a panicked look on her face while she signs. “Come on! Now!”
I glance at Nako, but she’s already running to catch up, so I miss Alexa’s crash. She doesn’t scream, of course. Instead, I turn around just in time to watch her crumple with an audible exhale of air.
Freezing, I watch as the air around us flexes, the gray-colored energy I spotted earlier on the portal now shimmering all the way around us. What the fuck is that?
Nako has reached Alexa, helping her to her feet. Thankfully, Alexa seems fine. I’ve moved to the left, where the shimmering white sheet still faintly vibrates. Reaching out, I skim my finger along the barrier. I remember Alexa mentioning that Emma appeared to be trapped, pressing against a glass surface from the other side. It was this!
Whateverthisis. Prickles of energy spread through my fingers as I follow it forward, trailing my hand along it until I reach Alexa and Nako. They’re both watching me with dawning horror, and I can only nod, butterflies kicking up in my stomach.
I haven’t felt this disheartened since the last time I lived at home and my father came home, carried by two of his friends. Disappointment... fear... and now resignation settles into the pit of my stomach as I follow the barrier to within feet of the portal.
We’re trapped. On this side.
But why?
“No. I believed you, Alexa. I never doubted you.” Nako’s still hugging Alexa as I turn to look back through at the room we left. It’s still empty.
But for how long?
“Look at the portal.” I point at the round opening on this side. It’s like looking into a picture of the room we just left, only it’s fading, becoming indistinct, as if the picture is pixelated.
We huddle together, watching as our world disappears from sight, and the opening we traveled through becomes a solid surface. Not rock like it was on our side. More of a silver brown. Similar to the walls.
“Do you think it just... takes on a similar appearance to the room?” The yellow energy of Nako and Alexa’s auras jumps toward me as I turn to see what they think of my hypothesis.
Alexa signs, “I don’t know,” halfheartedly. She looks defeated… and petrified, clinging to Nako.
Nako’s eyes narrow, and the dark blue around her intensifies as she straightens, still running her palms up and down Alexa’s arms. “What do you know?” I know she’s asking me.
This is why I’m here. Why Nako contacted me and not some other random person to come with her. And honestly, I’m always happy to help anyone who believes and accepts me unconditionally like she does.
With my hands on my hips, I let out a deep breath, spinning in a circle. I notice the white I picked out earlier, identifying where the barrier ends, is now invisible to me. Slapping my hand on the transparent cage, I watch as white shimmers around us again.
“Well, the barrier is a dome, so we can’t go over it. Can you see it?”
Alexa and Nako both shake their heads, but now they’re looking around, too. And they’re getting more nervous by the second. It’s the complete opposite of me. A sense of rightness has settled, calming my gut.
It doesn’t make any sense, but my intuition rarely does.
“Our people have used these portals in the past. I saw visions of them crossing over. The Three Kingdoms—”
I pause at Nako’s gasp, and Alexa and I stare at her while she clutches her chest. “Are you okay?” I move closer, taking her elbow, and gesturing for her to sit.