Finding the Rift (The Traveling Rifts Trilogy: Book One)

Chapter 2 | The Stranger

Oh hello there!

Thanks for moving on to the next chapter. I would just like to leave a quick note encouraging you guys to point out any grammar errors you find in the text. 

Hope you enjoy!

~RobynAster

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 The entrance felt like any other. At the start, everything turned completely white. Then Aris felt a small tingling sensation tickle every inch of her body, making her feel like a hundred butterflies were flying around, landing on her skin gently, and flying away again. Then she was deposited back to Earth, modern and normal. Where she belonged.

Aris closed her eyes to shield them from the shining brightness of the white landscape, coming out in a dive and skidding against something hard. Her jeans ripped in small tears along her legs. Heart beating quickly, Aris stayed still and attempted to catch her breath as her forehead rested against the ground. Finally, she rolled onto her back and breathed a deep sigh. In her right hand, she grasped the blanket, and around her left shoulder, her bow hung.

Opening her eyes, Aris gazed up into an open sky. It was dark, shining with tiny stars and a large moon. By the looks of it, she lay in between two buildings, and the hard surface was gravel. Earth. Home.

It was a relief to be back and safe from that library guard. He was obviously unaware of the entrances around his castle. She brushed the thought off, feeling the adrenaline begin to depart her body and leave her an exhausted heap of skin and bones.

With a deep breath, Aris sat up, pain jolting up her new cuts. She could see small scrapes on her skin, but considering she couldn't see any blood, she ruled it out as unimportant. She was more concerned about her backpack, which had just been squished by her body weight. Unlatching the flashlight from her belt loop, Aris peered inside the bag. Everything looked fine. The damage appeared to be just a few crushed candy bars.

Turning the torch off again and tossing it into the backpack, Aris took a few sips from one of her water bottles and zipped up the pack. She swung it around her shoulder and wrapped the blanket around the rest of her body to ward off the cold—and to make sure no Earth civilian could see her arrows, bow, or dagger. That wouldn't end well.

When Aris stood up, she felt a small dizzying sensation. She was so tired she felt like she could've taken a nap right then and there, but home (and her parents) awaited. So when the feeling passed, she walked a few tired steps forward. A noise stopped her in her tracks.

Clapping.

She gasped and spun around. In the shadow, leaning casually against one of the house walls, stood the figure of a person. A man.

"I have to say—you, Miss, are quite capable of hiding. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to track you down." His manner was nonchalant, and he spoke in an American accent. His tone sounded taunting; mocking in a way. By the way he moved from the wall and placed his hands in the pockets of his black trench coat, his interest in her was both obvious and unnerving. "Aris... isn't it?"

She took a step back and dropped the blanket, grabbing her bow and nocking an arrow in it. The girl aimed it at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," he told her before she could say anything. "I'm not here to hurt you."

She ignored his promise, trying to contain the mixture of panic and anxiety that rose in her chest. "Who are you?"

"Well... that depends," he responded. "What is your goal in doing..." he motioned towards the now-invisible second entrance, "this?"