Method to his Madness

3 - I Need Explanation, What Is Going On

You're always one decision away from a totally different life.

I stare at the girl in front of me, mouth wide open. "Excuse me?"

She's wearing clothes that confuse the hell out of me, tight pants that look like they were made out of leather, which on its own should already tell enough about the kind of person she is. On top, she's wearing a loose shirt that is secured around her waist with a black, heavy belt. She has long brown curls that are pulled back in a messy ponytail low in her neck, but what's the most confusing thing is that one of her eyes is grey, and the other is. freaking. purple.

I'm not naive. I know this thing called heterochromia, and that it's possible for a person to have two different eye colors but purple?

She doesn't even blink as she maintains eye contact with me. "Harry," she says again, as if that explains everything.

"How the fuck do you know my name?" I screech, because honestly, this is just all too much. You don't get flung into - what is this even? Another world - only to be followed by a person that you have never seen before who knows your freaking name. I mean. Nope. Not going there. Too much.

Something that resembles hurt a lot flashes over her face before she steels herself again. With a sigh, she mumbles, "Right."

"Right, what?"

The girl rolls her eyes. "Right, you have no idea," she elaborates.

As if that clears things up. "Am I supposed to know things?" I demand. My heart is hammering in my chest, and my hands are clammy with sweat. Emma moves closer to me, a determined look on her face, and when I look around I see that the others have formed a bit of a line behind me, as if they want to... protect me.

The girl sighs again and runs a hand through her dark brown curls. "Forget it. Where's Charlotte?"

The name sends a jolt through my body. "Charlotte is here?" I demand, at the same time that Levi asks, "What?" and both Emma and Feli utter confused sounds. The girl gives us a level stare, but when she realizes that we are serious, she groans.

"Right," she says again, dragging the word out. "My bad."

She bites her lip, taking a look around her with a wince before putting her sword away in the sheath that is hanging on her back in a fluent motion. It's as if our whole group exhales, some of the tension seeping from our bones. She must have noticed it too because she offers us a grim smile.

"Look, I can explain it all, but we need to move first," she says, taking another concerned look around us. "This-" she stops herself, swallowing. "It's not normal," she concludes.

I swear I hear Keanu mutter, "no shit," under his breath.

"Sorry, what are you saying? That we should follow you?" Levi's voice is dripping with heavy sarcasm, and his eyes are narrowed at the female figure standing in front of us. I'm torn between applauding him and giving him a nervous look. After all, there is a forest burning down behind us, so maybe we would do some good for ourselves by getting out of here.

The girl sighs again, this one heavy and dramatic, before locking eyes with me. Again.

Her eyes are fierce and I tense under her gaze. "Follow me. Please."

Remarkably, there is a hint of desperation in the last word. I share a nervous look with the others but am only met by confused shrugs. "Do we follow?"

"Do we have a choice?" Emma counters quietly.

We follow the girl as she stalks through the grass, in the direction of the non-burning forest. She moves with confidence, her strides quick and swift. We all struggle to keep up with her, our minds not yet fully caught up to the situation that we are actually in. It kinda feels as if I've had way too much coffee and an overdose of Gatorade at the same time, leaving my head in a murky haze that makes it extremely difficult to catch up on things. Behind me, I can hear how Liam mutters quiet directions to Emma.