Stuck in a Fantasy

Chapter 3

"Wow. You look beautiful in that dress," Taylor told me as I exited the bathroom. The white dress she had given me fits me well. It was quarter sleeved and flowed down to my knees. It was modest yet playful.

"Thank you," I replied, "Do you have something that could untangle my hair?"

She nodded and ran into her bedroom. She came out with a brush that had a golden handle and wooden bristles. "Here's a brush," she said as she handed me the brush.

It was heavier than I thought it would be and my arm got tired as I ran it through my hair. It's times like this where I pondered about cutting my waist-length hair.

Once I was finally done, parts of my hair were already starting to dry. I handed the brush back to Taylor and thanked her.

She nodded her head and smiled. She took the brush back and returned it to her bedroom. "So I was thinking I could start your laundry then we could go get some food. It's almost nighttime and once it's night all the shops close. I would say let's stay here and we could just eat what's in the fridge, but not gonna lie it's totally empty right now," she called out to me while she was in the other room.

I didn't really want to go out into town. I'm not sure how the other Kyna had lived. If someone somehow recognized me that could be a disaster. Not that anyone would. Since I was designed by my parents in my original dimension before I was even born I was totally unique. I had never looked like any other versions of myself. A blessing yet a curse. It meant that there was no one to help you when you needed it. However, it also meant you were less likely to jump.

Taylor walked back into the room I was in and stopped before heading into the bathroom. "How does that sound?" She asked me with a smile.

"Sounds like an adventure," I answered. A really risky one.

Her smile widened at my words and she went into the bathroom. I heard the familiar sounds of a washing machine going after a few seconds. A couple of moments after the noise started Taylor stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

She clapped her hands-free of her work and cheered, "Alright let's go."

She put on some sandals and then handed me a pair of similar sandals that were about five sizes bigger than the ones she had on. A part of me felt like asking her why she had ones so big, but the majority of me didn't care. I don't need to get close to her. She's going to be turning me over to the king soon anyways.

"So I was thinking we could go to the Grainer's Market. They have food you can eat there and take home," she said as she walked out the door with me behind her, "Plus something interesting always happens at Grainer's Market."

I followed her as she led me down a well-used dirt road. She kept chatting, filling the silence, and I kept thinking. How am I going to stay hidden at this place? My dark red hair draws too much attention and the moment someone sees my eyes they're not going to leave me alone.

I was so consumed in my thoughts that I didn't notice when Taylor stopped talking. After hearing a few too many gasps I emerged from my mind and looked around. We were now in a well-populated market area, and everyone's eyes were on me. I knew I couldn't hide.

"Wow. You sure do draw a lot of attention," Taylor whispered to me.

"Yeah... Let's just make this quick," I whispered back. Taylor nodded in agreement and led me to a small stand that had a grill behind it.

The woman and her young son behind the stand couldn't tear their eyes away from me. Taylor tried and tried to order food for us but eventually gave up. She turned to face me and shrugged, admitting defeat. "Umm... Can we order something?" I asked the two.

My words seemed to have shocked everyone out of their trance. At my words, they all went back to what they were previously doing. Everyone still took frequent glances at me, but they weren't frozen in place anymore.

"Of course! I'm so sorry. It's just... I've never seen anyone who looks like you before. You're so beautiful," the woman admitted to me a bit flustered.

I gave her an understanding smile and replied, "It's alright. I'm used to it."

"What can I get for you two?" The woman asked finally acknowledging Taylor. Taylor perked right back up and ordered food for both of us. As she took care of our dinner problem I let my eyes wander around the area.

Finally, my eyes came to a stop at a small group of people. They were all gathered around in a circle, and they were all yelling and chanting. What's going on over there?

"It's a sparring ring," Taylor's voice said from right beside me. I jumped at her sudden appearance and she let out a giggle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized.

My eyes went back to the group and I asked something that I usually wouldn't, "Can we go see?"

"Sure. Though just prepare yourself. It gets a bit gruesome. And really prepare yourself since you'll be eating while watching," she warned me as she placed what looked like a burrito in my hands.

The food was warm in my hands, bordering on hot, and for some reason, it gave me an odd sense of comfort. "Thank you. For everything you've done for me," I told Taylor.

She just shrugged it off and gave me a smile. She then gently grabbed my forearm and dragged me towards the sparring ring.

The ring had lots of people surrounding it, but the moment they saw me they made room for Taylor and me. Once we were basically face to face with the two fighters Taylor dropped her hand and squealed. She yelled out their names with fondness but the two fighters didn't give anyone the time of day. Their eyes were focused on each other. Honed in and ready to attack. In a blur of movement, they both attacked each other at the same time. Their movements, while so fast they were barely visible, were familiar to me and brought a smile to my face.

"Dad, why are we doing this?" I complained to my smiling father.

He just kept bouncing on the balls of his feet as he circled me. "Your mother and I designed you to stand out in a crowd. I just want you to be prepared for when that attention isn't always positive," Dad explained to me then threw a quick right jab towards my head. I dodged his advance and hit him in the gut with a jab of my own.

"You say that like you already know what's going to happen," I retorted with a heaving chest. Sweat rolled down my face and into my eyes. It burned and my vision blurred for a second too long.

The next instance I had the breath knocked out of me and I was laying on my back. Dad smiled down at me in triumph and held out a hand to help me up. I took his sweaty hand and he pulled me to my feet. I glared at him and he smiled at me while we both panted. "I rather plan that it's going to happen and not be surprised. That way instead of you getting hurt they just regret messing with you," Dad advised.

A body fell to the ground with a thud and I watched as the crowd cheered. A few audience members threw up at the bloodied and gory sight of the loser, but it didn't even make me blink. I looked at Taylor who looked a bit green and had her eyes closed. I grinned at their reactions and took a bite of my burrito.