Finding Elora

Chapter 5

ABBY

Lill sags, planting her hands on her knees as she struggles to catch her breath. She looks exhausted, and she wavers back and forth as she peers through the portal she's just opened.

It's beautiful. Where our TV used to be is now a giant prairie field. It stretches as far as the eye can see, and it's so fucking vivid. I feel like I can reach out and touch the vibrant green grass swaying in the wind or feel the summer breeze on my cheeks. I suppose I can.

"Holy shit," I say. There are no other words.

I carefully stand and slip the backpack straps up my shoulders. I don't know how long Lill will be able to keep the portal open, and I need to get through before it shuts.

Lill's head begins to turn, and I scramble to say something before she sees me getting ready to run.

"The sky looks different," I blurt out.

It truly does. It's overcast, every inch of the sky covered with clouds, but they almost appear to be glistening. In fact, everything looks like it's glistening. I've never seen anything like it before.

"That's magic," Lill says.

She thankfully stops turning, her attention stolen by the portal once more. I suck in a deep breath and look at the back of her head, committing every bit of her to memory before I make my move.

It's now or never.

Lill has no idea what's happening, and I don't stick around to see her reaction as I jump headfirst into the portal. I pray it's not just an illusion and I don't smash into the TV on the other side of the room, but I can tell it's not the moment my body crosses the threshold.

There's a brief moment of weightlessness, like my entire body is floating, before I crash to the ground in an uncoordinated heap. The fall forces the oxygen out of my lungs, and I gasp as my face smashes against lush grass.

Without thinking, I jump to my feet and sprint away, desperate to put distance between me and the portal. I'm not sure how long Lill can keep it open, or if she will jump in behind me and drag me out, but I'm not going to stick around and find out.

I run for about thirty seconds before spinning around to see what's happening with Lill and the portal. Lill's slow in her weakened state, so even if she's coming after me, I've got a good head start.

She's not behind me when I turn, though. In fact, there's nothing but more prairie behind me.

The portal is gone, vanished as if it was never there to begin with.

I'm surrounded by nothing but nature, and I stumble back a few steps as I allow myself to finally take it in. The shimmering air I noticed earlier is amplified here, and it's so concentrated that I feel like I can reach out and touch it. I try, running my hand through the air, but I feel nothing.

Crouching, I bring my hands to the grass instead. My palms are bleeding from the fall, but I ignore the slight sting. I've got bandages and antiseptic in my bag, not that I'll need it for minor scrapes. I'd rather save my supplies for real emergencies.

The grass is soft, softer than I'm used to back home, and I pull off my socks to feel it with my bare feet. I like it, and I can't help but smile as I look toward the sky. No wonder Lill was missing this place.

Something about it feels ethereal, too good to be true.

It's warm here, the sun heating my skin to a comfortable level, and I tug my sweatshirt before I get hot. I packed my insulated water bottle and about fifty hydration packets, but I don't want to sweat more than necessary.