From The Other Side

Chapter Fourteen

(As of writing this, my GF is holding my leg hostage and sleeping on it lol)

After Sierra and I's fight, I hadn't done much. Then again, not much time went by anyways. Some days, I can't deal with her. Today is one of them. Their sister doesn't believe them, their family doesn't. Carrying burdens isn't fun, but sometimes it has to be done. 

My current state was curled into a blanket, cuddling it like it was my only friend, because it really felt that way. I look back at the scene in the book we'd been reading in class. Rae and Sierra having a good relationship, happy, even with their differences. It makes me wonder why it ever got this bad. Who influenced either sibling that way. Even if they were deities.

A knock at my door stole me from my thoughts

"Vi? Sierra asked me to give this to you, and she says she forgives you." 

Mari handed me a red pendant, which I didn't want to wear, yet I knew I had to.

"I assume that's to keep me from speaking to them?"

"You'd guess right. Although I'm on your side here, Sierra's outburst was too much. I take there's more than one reason Rae was exiled?"

"Judging by my use of pronouns, yeah."

I decided to human up and clipped the chain around my neck.

"Just let me know if you need me, Vi. You'll be fine, we all will."

I look back at my younger self, immersed in these stories. Hell, I wanted to be a part of one back then. I don't now. There's barely anything I want more than to go home. Sure, being heroes and saving the universe is great, but being a hero takes its toll eventually.

Tomorrow was the ritual, and what I'd assume would be the final confrontation. There was hardly a speck of doubt that Sierra and/ or Rae would be dead in thirty-six hours. Then again, that's how it works. Fairy tales aren't all smiley like expected. Little red riding hood was about rape for gods sakes. Then I wonder how everyone else is dealing, family, school. How much time passed anyway?

I know I'll be home soon. That's the only thought that keeps me going when I finally end up falling asleep.

I didn't see them in my sleep, that's to be expected. The necklace still sat on a chain around my neck. The rest of the house seemed awake already. I lay there for a minute, still waking up.

I can hear the stomps of Sierra's leather boots hitting the floor. 

Finally, I get my lazy ass up and stand. Mari notices me, and she looks very different today. Leather corset and battle armor, boots, hair up in a ceremonial braided  style, highlights redone.

Sierra is next to her now, dressed in a similar armor and boots combo. The only difference was the hair, which she had in a half up half down, showing off her natural and literal glow. The skincare here must me nuts.

"You ready?"

I almost screamed "for what" at her.

"Excuse me, I forgot to explain. This is traditional armor and garbs here. If there's a fight, you wear these."

As strange as wearing your nice clothes to war is, I half expected that.

What I did not expect was for Mari to throw me boots, armor and a shield before yelling at me to "go get my lazy ass dressed".

I found a way to shove myself into the strange garb, although metal is metal and therefore difficult to squeeze in to, but the boots were nice. I think I'm going to keep those actually.

Philosophical Violet has left the building, business Violet has too. Now shiny thing attracted Violet is here, and so is midday doesn't want to go to war Violet.

At that point, my  internal tensions decided to kick in, which lead to anxiety, breaking down slightly and crying while in the sky. The ride was a blur to me. Mari occasionally looked back to find a dissociated and anxious form of myself. She didn't deny her own nerves, but she was much more suited towards these situations.

My mini panic attack ceased after a bit, gripping the sword I was given earlier. For a deity who'd tortured me in my sleep, I sure cared too much. Today's going to be to much for me.

In the blink of an eye, we'd landed. Begrudgingly, I followed Sierra, right to a pile of rocks I recognized to be a circle of some kind. I took a breath in.

Clouds rolled in from the left. Even the sky is dissatisfied.

Sierra took her herbs and moved them into the shape of the circle.

Small raindrops fell from the sky, conflicting with the sun from one side of the space. 

Sierra uncorked our first bottle, and it created the shell of a sphere in the circle's center.

You could barely make out a small rainbow acting as division between the clouds and sun.

Sierra uncorked the bottle with lightning, and it followed the other substances into the sphere.

The rainbow was clear now, visible to the naked eye.

The sphere rose, and Sierra started speaking, before placing the small crystal on top of the sphere, where it rotated, looking for something. She narrated whatever it was she needed to say, before the sphere proceeded to get faster. 

Then it stopped. The crystal lit up like a beacon in the distance. I quietly resisted the urge to say "ladies and gentleman, we got them".

And then I looked at where the crystal really was on the map. Within this region, and a few miles at best. Uncomfortably close. 

The sphere then proceeded to explode, and become a ball of ash, which I don't think was supposed to happen, because the crystal was now pitch black.

Oh shit.

"What in the genuine fuck just happened?" Mari asked.

"It backfired. She knows we're here."

I rolled my eyes. Respect the damn pronouns Sierra. 

Then my mind went to the dark side. And I realized something.

That wasn't Sierra's shadow behind me.

" 'heard you were lookin' for me."

Good job Rae. Scaring the shit out of us all.