Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Not in Oklahoma Anymore

The first thing Aisling registered was the fact that she was lying on the ground, soft grass at her back. Then she could hear a gentle breeze rustling the trees around her. Feel it across her body. Next came the pain.

Her head was pounding and it felt like her entire body was stinging or sore.

Groaning, she tried to open her eyes, but found the sun too bright, immediately shutting them again, as she brought her hands up to cover her face. She took a few seconds to slowly breathe in and out, trying to gauge her bearings. She knew she was outside somewhere, but obviously not in the shed with the storm cellar. Steeling herself, she opened her eyes, finding that the brightness wasn't so painful anymore.

Gingerly, she pushed herself up into a seated position, taking in her surroundings. She appeared to be in a forest, which was strange. She didn't recall any forests like this around the house. This thick. Had the tornado picked her up and carried her miles away? A slight sense of panic filled her, though she desperately attempted to swallow it down. If she were going to find help, she needed to keep her head.

But it was all so weird. Sure, she had heard stories about people surviving something like this. Popping up miles away after a tornado. She looked down at her body, finding cuts littering her legs and arms, with a large gash running down her right shin that was still bleeding a bit, staining her shoes. There were rips in her sleeves along with more smears of blood. But nothing appeared to be broken. Cautiously, she managed to stand, finding herself sore and aching, but otherwise okay. Though her ankle hurt like a sonofabitch. Reaching up, she felt dried blood at her temple and going down her cheek, matting in her hair. It was then she remembered something hitting her in her head before she blacked out.

Looking around, she could hear birds and other wildlife around her. Where the hell was she? This didn't look like anything she knew in Oklahoma. She felt in her pockets, but her phone wasn't there. Great. Looked like she was going to be walking.

She started moving, limping her way through the forest as she continued to look around, straining to hear anything that sounded remotely like civilization. There were tons of farms spread out throughout Oklahoma. Surely she would run into one at some point.

"Halt," a strong voice said from behind her, causing Aisling to freeze. But then relief coursed through her. She had found civilization. Or someone that could take her to civilization.

She spun around, a smile on her face, but then froze again, seeing a man standing not far off, an arrow notched in a large bow and aimed straight at her. Her hands went up immediately, hoping he wouldn't shoot her. But then she really studied him.

What the hell?

His hair was long, impossibly straight and impossibly blonde. He wore strange clothes - like something you'd see at a ren faire - breeches and long boots, with some sort of tunic and cloak. All in varying shades of grey. There was a sword on his hip and a quiver of arrows on his back.

She then met his eyes - piercing, sharp grey eyes that were currently sizing her up.

"I... I'm lost," she called out, wondering just how far the tornado had carried her. And how strange it was that it dropped her off in the middle of a ren faire. "My name is Aisling Hughes and I think the... the tornado. It must have carried me here. How far are we from Chandler?"

An odd look came over his face as he lowered the bow and arrow, almost as though he didn't understand what she was talking about.

"The tornado?" she tried again. Surely he hadn't missed the monstrous, spinning mass of destruction that had blown through.

"I must apologize... I do not understand," the man said, sliding the bow on his back and returning the arrow to the quiver. "I have not heard of this... Chandler." It was obvious the name of the town was foreign on his tongue. And that he wasn't from around here with that accent. Aisling's eyes widened slightly. God, he took this seriously. "Nor do I know this... tornado. But you appear injured."