Triple Point

Chapter 11: Return to Reality

Present day

March 25, 33 AE

Elsie didn't always hate flying. Before she had a fear of heights, she didn't mind plane rides, and she even enjoyed them if she was lucky enough to get the luxury of first class seats. After her near-death experience though, she could spend entire flights tensed up in fear that the plane was going to plummet out of the sky, or the ceiling was going to get ripped off and she would get yanked out of her seat and thrown into the wind like a ragdoll.

But now, she was flying and she loved it. Maybe she enjoyed it because she was flying freely through the air like a bird instead of being trapped in the confines of a metal tube with engines. Or maybe it was because she was entranced by the breathtaking view with nothing but the blues of the sky and the ocean around her. Whatever the reason was, she knew with certainty that she felt completely safe and calm.

With a rush of optimism, Elsie decided to test her newfound freedom. She started off with a few steep climbs and sharp dives, simply flying up and down until she got used to it. Eventually, she progressed to barrel rolls and giant loops; it was as if she was riding a roller coaster of her own design.

It was so exhilarating, that Elsie couldn't help but laugh. She was aware that she probably looked crazy, laughing by herself at nothing in particular, but there was no one around and she couldn't bring herself to care. Instead, she could only laugh more at the sense of overwhelming glee that was coursing through her. It was amazing. She felt amazing. So amazing, in fact, that she wanted to throw her arms up and just wildly flail them around.

Except she couldn't move her arms at all, and as soon as she tried, they suddenly felt like lead weights. Immediately, the rest of her body followed, and for a split second, Elsie feared that the new weight would send her plummeting to the ground.

To her relief, she continued to glide peacefully through the air, only she got flipped upside down for some reason. With the sun now blazing directly in her face, along with the sensation of her weighted body, Elsie was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable about the whole flying thing. She clamped her eyes shut with a grimace.

"These powers are shit," she muttered to herself, but the words came out as an incoherent jumble of sounds.

Well, that was weird. Elsie tried repeating herself to see what would happen. And then several more times after that. She started to sound comprehensible by the fourth time she tried, but even then the words sounded strange to her ears. Maybe the sun was too bright?

"What the hell are you talking about?" a familiar voice asked.

"Sun's too bright," Elsie replied. These words, too, were nearly incoherent.

Thankfully, they ended up being clear enough, and after a sound of a long sigh, the sunlight lessened to a bearable amount.

"That's better," she mumbled, and she tried to open her eyes again.

The beautiful blue sky and sea had vanished, replaced by a neutral cream-colored ceiling and a pale blue wall. In the middle of the ceiling were a couple of fluorescent lights that had been dimmed, but they were still brighter than the green and white lighted sign on the wall depicting a stick figure human going through a doorway. Below the light, an actual human was standing in the doorway with a hand on the light switch.

"Is the sun dim enough for you now?" he said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Minyoung?" Elsie asked groggily. "What're you doing here?"

Not that she knew where "here" was, but based on the medical supplies that surrounded her, she guessed it was a hospital.

"Fending off a media nightmare," her manager replied, walking towards her. "The same thing I've been doing for the past few days. And what have you been doing?"