Reality Check

Two Halves, One Girl

Mirror (by IDER)

"I keep looking in the mirror 'til I see myself, I see myself, ayy. Hey lover will you blow my cover, 'cause I'm not myself, I'm not myself . . ."

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The next morning, Owen skidded down the volcano, Kara right at his heels as they navigated the slippery decline. After talking for hours until the sky was filled with stars, they had both fallen asleep at some point. A volcano, Owen decided, definitely wasn't an ideal place to sleep, nor was it the most logical hiding spot. He was glad that he hadn't been unexpectedly eaten in the middle of the night. After all, this was a Pick The Plot book, so anything was possible with the readers being in control.

"It just looks like more jungle to me," Kara said once they finally reached the bottom. Owen could only agree to her statement. There were trees everywhere, and the foliage was so dense that it blocked any chance of seeing what lay beyond the jungle.

Owen scanned his surroundings, walking along the edge of the jungle. Halfway covered by bushes and plants, there was a dirt path. He pointed to it. "Hey, look, there's the path! It'll probably lead us to the time bracelets."

She nodded, moving in front of him and starting along the path. From her expression, Owen could tell she looked nervous. "Let's hurry."

Owen followed right behind her, trying his best to stay on the path. It wasn't very wide, which didn't give him much space to walk around. The ground was also more uneven here, so it was easy to trip. As they continued walking, the sun rose higher in the sky, radiating heat onto the jungle and warming the air around them. So far, there were only a few dinosaur noises, but they were distant and faint.

Suddenly, an idea abruptly came to Owen's head, making him wonder if the readers had planted it there. This idea didn't give him a headache, so he doubted it. He stopped in his tracks, grabbing Kara's hand before she could venture further.

"Wait," he said. "I think I have another idea on how to get us out of here. And we won't have to use the time bracelets."

Kara sighed, turning around to face him. "How exactly can we do that? There's no way we can get out of here without the time watches. They're our only way out."

"Maybe you're right," Owen said slowly, feeling more optimistic than he had in a while. "But I still have to try. If it doesn't work, it's not too late to keep looking for them."

She scrunched her eyebrows, some of her distress showing in her voice as she spoke. "What's your idea? We've been searching everywhere for the time watches, and at this point the Countess has already gotten to them." She frowned and looked out into the trees. "Not only that, but we need to stop her. She'll destroy everything if she gets her hands on them. We need to find the time bracelets first, and then we can take her down. And if we don't, well, you know . . ."

"I know," Owen said quietly, knowing exactly what she was talking about. If they didn't get the time watches first, the Countess would kill one of them and make the other watch. But he had to remain optimistic about this. They'd come so far, and he was so close to getting out of here.

He clapped his hands. "Well then, as my friend Kiel says: let's make it work for us instead of against us. I'm going to do one of those nonfictional things you hate hearing about. It might backfire, but if we can't find the time bracelets than I'm not sure what other choice we have to escape. It'll get us out of here."

"Okay," she said with some reluctance. "But remember, we do need to stop the Countess somehow."

He nodded. "If this works, it'll take care of both things. And you'll be able to leave here if you want to help me find Bethany."