Another World

“Selina,” I heard someone’s voice say as my head snapped up.

I stared into the brown eyes of Mrs. Charlotte, which were currently full of tiny sparks of what I assumed was disappointment mixed with just a little anger. It wasn’t the first time she caught me staring off into the distance. Was it really my fault if the vibrant colors of the forest surrounding us kept drawing me to them? I bowed my head in what I hoped was an apologetic manner as I mumbled a half-hearted “I am sorry.”

Mrs. Charlotte took no further interest in me, choosing instead to address the crowd of restless children, who were the class she was supposed to be monitoring during our trip. She continued on with her lecture in spite of all the poorly-hidden bored looks the students’ faces were decorated with. I guess I wasn’t the only one who found this pointless after all.

After what seemed like the hundredth basic rule, she decided to actually tell us about our routine for this already-delayed trip, “Now, all of you are allowed to explore the forest under two conditions. One, nobody wanders off alone. Two, you must remain within the set boundaries that are drawn on your pamphlets. Have I made myself clear?”

As she said the last part, her eyes wandered to a cluster of students in the back, who were known as the “Troublemaker Gang”. The group consisted of Emily Brothel, Michael Brown, Sandy Everson, and Todd Marsh. Each of them was known for breaking at least five school rules, hence Mrs. Charlotte’s death stare. I knew they wouldn’t attempt anything though. As tough as they all seem, they are all pretty cowardly and can’t bear the thought of getting lost in the woods. All the other students around me began forming groups, each one finding their gang and sticking with them. Soon enough, there was nobody left but me and Skyla Emerald, the new transfer student who arrived just a month ago. Nobody knew her, and thus, nobody wanted to hang out with her. Seeing as she was my only option if I actually wanted to get the most out of this trip, I walked over.

“Looks like nobody else is left. Would you like to partner up with me?” I asked, knowing the question probably sounded stupid since she was the only one available.

“Sure! You’re Selina, right?” she asked tentatively as if trying not to blow her only chance in forming a partnership.

“Selina Lunar at you service. Let’s get going before the day slips away.”

I marched quickly into the forest, hearing Skyla’s footsteps crunching as she made her way over the dead leaves and who knew what else. I had already read the pamphlet; thus, I knew where the boundaries were set and how close we were to them, which was really far way. I have to hand to the school; they did a pretty decent job giving the students enough area to explore. The silence of the forest was broken only by the sudden buzz of the summer insects or the chirps of the colorful birds perched on thick, long trees.

“How long have you been in this school?” Skyla asked in an attempt to break the unnerving silence.

“This is my sixth year,” I replied as I jumped over a rock crawling with slugs.

As much as I loved forests and explorations, I just couldn’t stand the gross things that were out here. Skyla did the same, letting out a yip when the cuff of her pants brushed against one of the slimy creatures. We were in complete silence for a few minutes, until this silence was shattered by the sound of squabbling voices.

“We’re are going home right now,” a female, authoritative voice said.

“Come on, Lotus. Please, let’s have a look around. It won’t hurt. I don’t want to go back,” a male voice replied, hitching at the last sentence.

“I know you don’t, but we can’t risk staying here any longer than necessary. I promise we’ll take a walk around before going to the house. What do you think of that?” the female asked, her voice softer this time.

“That sounds fine, actually,” the male replied back.

Without realizing it, I had crept to the bushes behind which the male and female were talking. I felt hot breath against my cheek as I found Skyla looking over my shoulder as well. The girl started moving her hand in complex gestures, all while muttering some incomprehensible dialogue that I couldn’t follow, and judging from Skyla’s confused expression, she couldn’t either.

Out of the blue, and without any warning, a circle of swirling colors appeared. It seemed to be made of nothing but color, reds and blues and yellows moving in a whirlpool-like manner while radiating small bursts of warm air. The girl stepped inside, followed by the boy, who looked over his shoulder before going. Fortunately, he didn’t see us.

I found myself wanting to follow them for no apparent reason. This circle, no portal, was drawing my attention like nothing else has ever done. The prospect of it taking me somewhere else was appealing, even if I knew those things didn’t actually exist. I’d always dreamed of seeing one, though, and plus, what else would explain the girl and boy vanishing. The portal was growing smaller, and before I knew what I was doing, I had already sprinted across the forest ground and jumped inside.

I braced myself as I passed through the portal, a tingly sensation filling my body, as if each cell was humming with power. Then suddenly, I found myself staring at a wooden cottage that wasn’t there a moment ago. Someone collided with me from behind, and I managed to steady myself as I glimpsed a shock of black hair, Skyla.

“What are you doing here?” asked a high-pitched voice.

I froze. The sound belonged to the male we’d heard in the forest. I slowly turned to stare at his sparkling yellow eyes, which looked suspiciously like a reptile’s with their black, slit pupils.

“What are you doing here?” he asked again, his voice threateningly low.

“We…umm…we were just passing by,” I said, trying to sound casual.

The boy frowned and I noticed his eyes darting to my ear, which had a strand of cherry red hair tucked behind it, leaving it exposed.

“Your ears aren’t point,” he said, confused.

I frowned, “They aren’t supposed to be.”

“Did you follow us through the portal?” he asked, realization dawning on him.

When neither of us replied, his suspicions were confirmed.

“Lotus! Come here quickly! We’ve got a problem,” the boy shouted.

He started surveying us from head to toe, looking more worried by the second. Then came Lotus, earning wide-eyed glances from both Skyla and me. Her hair was made of vines that were laced with colorful flowers. Her eyes were brown and cracked, like earth during a drought. Her skin was practically green and covered in what appeared to be a dress made of wood. The boy explained the situation to her quickly, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“We got to get them out of here before someone sees them,” she said as she cast a worried look at the cottage.

“Where to?” he asked her.

Lotus thought about that for a minute, “The Ancient Forest.”

The boy shivered at the name, and I suddenly had a funny feeling in my stomach.

“You aren’t taking us anywhere until we understand what’s happening,” Skyla said fiercely.

“You’re humans, aren’t you? If anyone sees you, they’ll take you to the High Court where you’ll be executed. So, unless you have a death-wish, you should come with us,” Lotus explained hastily.

“Your words imply you aren’t humans,” I said slowly, even though it wasn’t hard to believe.

Lotus nodded quickly as she pushed us deeper into the bushes, making sure we were hidden, even though I doubted anyone would come to this area. We spent a lot of time hiking while Lotus and her brother, Aaron, explained how they were “forlerns”, creatures who have super-like abilities and whose powers affect the way they look. Lotus was an Arborkinetic, which means she could control plants, hence why she had vines for hair. Aaron was a Chameleon, and that means he could blend in with his surroundings. That is also the reason why he has reptilian eyes and scales instead of skin on his arms and legs. For me, that was creepy. They were apparently bringing us to a place where nobody would look, The Ancient Forest, as they called it. According to Lotus and Aaron, the forest was sealed off long ago when destructive forlerns were banished there. They also said we’d be fine as long as we stayed on the border. I didn’t trust them one bit, but if I had to choose between execution and possible danger, the latter would be my choice. Skyla seemed to have her own set of worries as well, but she wasn’t as good at hiding them, and kept voicing her concerns every time a chance popped up. Finally, we arrived at a small clearing, which was declared a “safe haven” from both the High Court and the banished forlerns. Lotus created a tent out of vines and thick leaves, which was surprisingly comfortable, and gathered some fruits and vegetables, none of which were known in our world. They tasted pretty good. As for the water, Lotus gathered moisture from the plants and placed the sweet substance in makeshift cups of leaves. We pretty much had everything from the plants, so I was thankful for their existence.

“Why were you in our world in the first place?” Skyla asked as she took a bite of Cornea, a fruit that tasted like pomegranate back in our world.

“We make yearly trips to your world to gather some stuff that isn’t available in ours,” Aaron said as he wiped away some juice dripping down his chin.

“I couldn’t help but notice the word yearly. Does this mean we’ll be spending a year here?” I asked, already dreading the answer.

“Well, yes, but you shouldn’t worry. Afterall, time passage in our world and yours is very different. It would most likely be three months in your world by the time you return,” Lotus said as if that was comforting.

“We’re going to be stuck here for a year. Oh my god this is bad. This is really really bad,” Skyla moaned as she placed her head in her hands.

“Calm down. I am sure we’ll find a way to get out of here faster,” I said, trying to assure her, even though I was pretty freaked out myself.

Lotus and Aaron looked like they had some thoughts to share about what I just said, but for the sake of both of us, they kept their mouths shut. I was starting to regret ever crossing here in the first place. Curse curiosity and where it leads! At least there is some other human with me. Surprisingly, that thought comforted me more than I thought it would. I found my thoughts wondering to my family. How devastated they would be when I didn’t return. How they’d go to the police and try to get everyone to look for me. I could imagine their tear-streaked cheeks vibrantly, and that hurt me more than anything. I suddenly felt drowsy, and I leaned my head against the soft sides of the tent as I fell into a deep sleep.