The Child That Never Was (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

I turned around to face the portal, but it had already closed. It was too late. My heart stopped and my eyes widened, tears falling from them. My fists banged on the air in front of me, as if some door was there and I was trying to break through it. Unfortunately, there was only me banging my fists in the air. "Open!" I yelled, waiting for the portal to just reappear. I shut my eyes and tried to breathe deeply, knowing that this couldn't be the end. Back in the other realm, everything was fine. No one was hurt.

As much as I tried to convince myself of this, I just couldn't stand the fact that that was the truth. Bethany had called out my name just as I stepped through the portal. I hadn't turned around to even acknowledge her, and now the portal was closed. I had left her- and possibly Benny- behind with that man covered in blood. Never will I forget the way he was running towards me, weapon raised in hand, the blood stains all over his clothes, and the ferocious expression that he wore on his face. Or the fear I felt when I first noticed him. Or the way that Bethany had called my name, and how I had ignored her completely. And as a result of this, she was probably now dead. Possibly along with Benny.

I bit down on my bottom lip; two lives were just lost because of me. I could have turned around, we could have all tried to help each other, run through the portal together, and then we would all be alive and safe. It's all my fault that the two people closest to me were now gone, and now I had figure this all out by myself. My mind began to deteriorate with my thoughts, trying to tell myself that the next obstacle I encounter will be my last, and that I should just give it all up. If they had to face their end so soon, then why didn't I have to, as well? Oh right because they hadn't let me down like I had to them. They were too good of friends to let something like that happen to me, and I was unworthy.

Turning around, I faced the realm ahead of me. Hidden within the depths of this world, there was an obstacle, something ready to hurt me, and I was all alone. I scanned the new world, seeing rows and rows of old, Victorian homes. It looked like the village from the Beauty and the Beast, but it had more of a tranquil look here. Even with the look of peace, I couldn't shake away my feelings from what had just happened. I felt something begin to change around me; I looked down and saw that my outfit had just changed. Instead of the jeans and graphic tee I had been wearing, I now wore some long black dress that looked sort of Victorian with all of the lace trimming it. Back where I was from, this dress would be considered lovely, elegant, and vintage even, but I feared that I was now in a different time period, where this dress would be symbolic of witch-craft. Walk in there, and face it, head on, I told myself, beginning to walk towards the village.

Taking a deep breath, I finally reached the village and looked around for someone who might be able to give me some sense of direction. I spotted a plump, middle-aged woman setting up crops at a wooden stand, like in a farmers' market. I walked over to her, and gave her a small smile. "Hello, may I bother you for a moment?"

The lady moved back a few paces, her eyes widened. "Who are you?"

"I'm not from here," I shook my head. "I'm actually sort of lost. You see, I was at a- um, a party at this castle a few villages over. For the Princess. Something went terribly wrong, and we all had to run away from the castle to save our lives. I've been running, and now I'm lost in this dress." I lied, searching for my words. If I told her that I just came out of some magical portal, she would have thought that I was crazy. Which, at this point, I honestly believed that I was.

The lady laughed. "Oh, it's a dress of royalty, then! I thought it was some sort of dress of witchcraft, I was worried. Well, dear, where you are now is the village of Everend, and five villages over is the Kingdom of Excorist, if that's where you came from? I would believe that to be the place, for I don't know where else you would have come from, since that's the closest castle..." she dragged her on.