Reality Check

Back To The Real World

Metropolis (by Owl City)

"As far as I can see, you're the only one, the only one who can get to me. Don't matter much to me what it is that I do, as long as I'm coming home to you . . ."

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"Oh my . . . good heavens . . . what is the meaning of . . ."

Kiel's eyes fluttered open at the sound of heavy footsteps and a woman's voice. He didn't know how he'd ended up on the ground— only that he was cold. So cold. Squinting, he could make out the blurry shape of a hunched figure standing above him, outlined by a gray sky.

Surprise washed over him. Darting upward, Kiel stumbled into the woman, causing her to gasp. He pivoted on his heel, breaking off into a run. Luckily, he was pretty much an expert at running fast. Or . . . he would've been, if not for the thick snow covering the ground. But he didn't stop. He kept going, not stopping until he was sure the woman wasn't following him.

Once he was sure she wasn't, Kiel sank against a nearby tree, attempting to brush the snow off his clothes. It was no use. And since the sun wasn't, well, warm, he wasn't liking his chances of the snow melting anytime soon. At this rate, icicles would form on his clothes by the time he got anywhere! Unless the temperature miraculously shifted. Like that would happen.

Kiel's teeth began to chatter, and he rubbed his arms, which only helped a little. He wondered if the spell had actually worked. Had he made it to the nonfictional world? If he had, this definitely wasn't the right area. He remembered his friends' town to be slightly chilly, for the most part. But it'd never been cold enough to reach this temperature.

A lightbulb went off in Kiel's head. His spell book, of course! Why hadn't he thought of that before? Pride swelling inside him, he murmured something, and the spell book floated out of his belt, expanding from tiny to gigantic. And then he was flipping through the pages, learning the spell and casting it on himself.

A warmth spell. Simple enough, with just enough power to keep someone warm for a few hours. Like he was standing in front of a crackling fire, warmth spread through his body, melting away the coldness. Kiel sighed in relief. Even though snowflakes continued to rain down on him, he didn't feel any of it, now. The effects would only last for an hour or two, long enough for Kiel to get where he needed to go.

Just as he'd expected, Kiel felt a wave of tiredness crash over him— like he always did when using magic in the nonfictional world. Under normal circumstances, he might've been bothered, but this detail only made him happier. It was confirmation. Confirmation that he was in the nonfictional world after all.

And if he really was . . .

Fishing around in his pocket, Kiel's fingers curled around his teleportation button. Whether he was or wasn't anywhere close to his friends' town, teleporting there would get him there instantly. Definitely, it was better than aimlessly wandering around these woods, trying to figure out which part of the nonfictional world he'd landed in.

Just then, the snowfall began to pick up, so heavy that it was difficult to see through. Yeah, teleporting was by far a great decision.

He pressed the button. His surroundings vanished, replaced by someplace more familiar. While teleporting, he'd imagined a place he'd spent the most time at, a place that likely hadn't changed much in the past few years. And, most importantly, the last place he'd seen his friends. Now, standing before him in all its glory, was the library that Owen's mom owned. The paint looked a little faded, and the trees surrounding it had lost all their leaves, but there was no mistaking it. This was the same library.