The Land Behind the Mirror | ONC 2022

Chapter 17

Last thing Alba heard before darkness claimed her were those words no one wants to hear.

Oops.

Not a very scientific term but still the one that spoke volumes about her situation.

The calculations turned out to be incorrect, and she had ended up who knows where. The very thought was terrifying.

On a positive note, she didn't explode or stop existing. On a negative note, she had no idea where she was. The darkness felt so thick and frightening that she couldn't do anything but try to keep her heart inside her chest, stop it from breaking out.

"I am alive, and I am definitely somewhere different. All I need to do is calm down and think," Alba thought.

However, that was easier said than done as she was even more afraid than when she first saw the T-Rex. At least that time, she could see the danger, allowing her to understand how to escape it. This time around her sight, the one sense she relied on the most, was useless, and her other senses weren't much help either.

The place was eerily quiet and damp, which didn't tell her much. Standing there, frozen in fear, wasn't helping calm her nerves. So, she started carefully extending her hands around her, only to quickly pull them back when she felt something firm and dusty.

Taking a deep breath, Alba tried again, only to realize that it was some type of furniture. Its familiarity helped her recover some of her courage, and she started feeling her way around it. It was an armchair.

"Alright, this is familiar. It's safe," Alba said, trying to convince herself. "It was very bright in the garden. I need to just sit down and let my eyes adjust."

She carefully lowered herself on the dusty armchair doing her best not to think about how dirty it might be. Clearly, things didn't go according to plan, but she was sure she was no longer in Ana's world. All she could do was hope she was back in her own world.

After a few more tense moments where Alba jumped at every tiniest sound, her eyes could finally distinguish different shapes around her. It was mostly furniture and decorations that one would have stowed away in the attic or basement. More importantly, she could see a doorframe nearby, and she hurried towards it.

The moment Alba flicked the light switch on, she let out a breath of relief. It was her world, a place that she did know.

"This is Ana's basement, but I need to get out quickly because I don't really know the people living here. They might think I am a thief or something," Alba thought as she scrambled up the stairs as quietly as she could in her hurry to escape the creepy atmosphere of the basement.

Luckily for her, the back door was open, and no one was in sight. Thus, she hurried off into the starlit night, eager to get home and finally feel safe after days of dread being her constant companion.

"Alba?" A familiar voice asked the moment Alba burst out onto the empty street. "I thought that was you."

As Alba turned to face Jessica, she wanted to instantly tell her everything that had happened to her, how, for once, Jessica was right. Yet, something in Jessica's dimly lit expression stopped her.

"I told them you were just trying to get everyone's attention, that you were hiding out nearby, but they didn't believe me," Jessica said with disdain. "Yet, even I couldn't have guessed you would be so pathetic as to hide in the house where your former best friend once lived."

Harsh words caught Alba by surprise. Although they hadn't left things on the best of terms, it shocked her that Jessica would even consider that she could do something as insensitive as that. However, it was starting to become clear that there were many things about Jessica she didn't know. More importantly it was obvious that their friendship was never as deep as what she had with Ana.

"No, I wasn't hiding out, I..." Alba started to say, unsure how to explain everything without sounding like a lunatic.

"Don't even try. I can see right through you," Jessica said sharply. "You are a sad, lonely girl who would do anything to be in the limelight. Now I can tell everyone what you are really like, to warn them to stay away from you."

After saying that, Jessica flipped her hair dramatically and went in the opposite direction.

Alba was too stunned to say or do anything. Though she always suspected that she wasn't Jessica's favorite friend, Alba never would have guessed that she had such a low opinion of her.

As her mind whirled in confusion, Alba resumed walking. She hoped that a warm bath and familiar blankets might recharge her mental facilities and help her understand what had happened.

Furthermore, she realized how much she missed her mother, even though they weren't that close in recent years, and wanted to see her as soon as possible.

"Mom, I am home!" Alba yelled out the moment she entered the house.

She expected to get a lecture from her mother about where she had been but what she got instead was a teary embrace. Her usually calm and collected mother ran into her arms, tears streaming down her face.

"I was looking for you everywhere," Deirdre said, pulling back to check Alba for injuries. "I thought you were dead!"

It had been a long time since Alba had seen her mother so emotional, and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She knew her mother loved her, but she never guessed that she worried so much about her. After all, she always seemed too busy for that sentimental stuff.

"Shh, it's okay, mom. I was just gone for a few days," Alba said, hugging the melting putty that was her mother.

"What are you talking about? You were gone for weeks!" Deirdre said, wiping away her tears. "I called all the hospitals and even the morgues. There was no sign of you, and I was just..."

Seeing that her mother was losing it, Alba knew she needed to calm her down and explain everything. However, she wasn't sure how the explanation would go over with her rational mother.

"Look at me, mom," Alba said firmly. "I am fine, as fit as a fiddle. Why don't I make us a cup of coffee and I can tell you what happened? I am not sure you'll believe any of it, but I will tell you every little detail.

As they sat at the familiar kitchen table drinking warm coffee, Alba told Deirdre everything that had occurred since that fateful day when she decided to explore the attic. At first, Deirdre kept shaking her head in disbelief. Yet, the more Alba delved into the story the more convinced her mother seemed to become.

As far as Alba could tell, Deirdre believed she was telling the truth. At least, what she thought was true. However, Deirdre clearly didn't believe in the existence of parallel universes.

"All that can't be possible! Our scientists would have figured it out by now," Deirdre said passionately.

She used a patronizing tone Alba disliked but decided not to comment on.

"That's the thing, mom. They have. They postulate that these universes could exist. They just haven't found a way to visit them yet," Alba said patiently, understanding how difficult it was to accept the strange reality.