LAUREL

Chapter 3

The morning brought with it a rare sense of comfort and relaxation. As the sunlight began to break in through the tiny gaps in the tree branches, Laurel almost forgot where she was. She inhales, letting the fresh air and the heat wrap around her senses. She sat up, eyes fully opened as she welcomed the new dawn in the land.

Everything looks normal - clear sky, cool breeze, running waterfall, and singing birds and small animals chipping around. Wait, waterfalls? Laurel blinked twice, rubbed her eyes, and jolted up to scan her surroundings. Her eyes round with mouth agape. She can tell it's still the forest, but there's something different about it. Laurel remembers that there are no waterfalls, rainbow, and glittery things floating around the night before. She guarantees that, so how come she's staring at one right now?

Did I get relocated again? Her mind immediately works its gear. It pieces the new information on what brought her to another location. It's odd. She didn't even know the root of the previous one yet again she's going places. Quite literally.

Laurel took a chance to scavenge the area. Following the waterfall that connects to another river. She walked further, looking for food and information. As for her injured leg, it magically healed. Now she can walk and cartwheel her way to the forest. Laurel would give more thought to her healing ability and question it, but she'll let it go for now. She's more concerned about her current location. Unlike the forest she was in before, the new place emits a different kind of energy. It's quiet. Somehow, majestic, lush, and magical like a fairytale world.

"Daphne?"

Laurel made a full stop when she crossed the river. She wasn't expecting to meet anyone, but whoever they are, Laurel kept her guard up. The voice's friendly and warm, but she's still in unknown territory. Laurel doesn't know what would happen. Cautiously, she turned around, meeting the person across. A woman. Like most of the people she met in Greece, she's wearing a chiton, but something about her seems familiar to Laurel.

"You're back," the new person smiled with a sense of knowing. "I heard father called for you. Have you spoken to him?" Her hand scoops the water from the river. Touching it made the water glow like some magic. The way the woman moves has a sense of gracefully and modesty, something uncommon in her real world.

Curious more than wary, Laurel observes how the other move. Not that she's doing anything special, but something tells her that the woman's not so ordinary. An elite or noble, maybe.

"Is there something wrong?"The woman frowned, noticing Laurel's silence.

"Sorry," she whispered, trying to hide the flush of pink on her cheeks, averting her eyes from the woman. She didn't mean to stare. Just a habit she picked up when meeting new people. It's something that helps her get to know the person more.

"Daphne, are you not feeling well?"

Daphne. That name again. It's the second time someone calls her by that name. The first one may be a coincidence, but the second time maybe something else.

"Pardon me, but I think you got the wrong person. I am not that Daphne you speak off," Laurel answered, causing a deeper frown from the other.

"What are you saying, sister? Has time caught on to you that you've forgotten?"

Oh, the time has messed up, alright. Laurel thought that's why she guarantees that she's not the person they're calling her to be.

"I am telling the truth. I am not Daphne," Laurel responded. She tried to think of something else to prove her point. But no matter what explanation she comes up with, it's borderline impossible. Who believes in time travel anyway? For all she knows, the woman might think of her as crazy.