LEILANI ***Under Editing***

⚫ Chapter 25⚫

Saturday, December 15

"Leilani, we're leaving soon," I heard Saphira call out from her room. Today was the day and I was beyond terrified. It was 4 am as I sat on my bed thinking about how crazy this whole thing was.

"Leilani?" Saphira called out as she walked into my room. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," I sighed. She took a seat next to me and laid her head against my shoulder. "How do you feel about this whole thing? I haven't asked you yet," I asked her.

"I feel anxious. The Other Side sounds like a cool place, but I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right."

Exactly. Something didn't feel right. To be sent to another world with little knowledge, little understanding, and no explanations was terrifying. And I hated the feeling of being unsure. Of not knowing what to expect.

"Come on, we have to go," Saphira murmured.

-

"Are you sure we don't need to bring anything with us? You know a soccer ball, food, our phones?" Nathan asked my mother.

"Nope. You don't need anything," my mother responded.

"How are we going to connect with the real world? With you guys?"

"That won't be necessary. And also the world's memory of you will be erased." Wait what?

"What does that mean?" Saphira asked her father.

"It means right before you enter The Other Side, your handprint will be scanned, and you will be erased from every human's mind and every data system in the world. It will be like you were never even born," he answered.

"Well that's kind of cool and kind of tragic," Blaike said. We were going to be erased? I didn't like the sound of that.

"I know this might all seem weird, crazy, and suspicious, but trust me, it will all make sense eventually," my father stated.

"Wait, so when we get back, no one will know who we are?" Lucian asked.

"No, when you get back your handprint will be re-scanned, and things will return back to normal." I highly doubted things would return back to normal. There was no way that could actually happen.

"None of this is making sense. I have a bad feeling about all of this," Lucian whispered to Saphira. "Me too," she responded.

"Alright! Everybody head out!"

After my friends said their goodbyes to their parents, we all exited the house. As soon as we stepped outside, we were greeted by three black vans.

"Twelve people in each van!" my father shouted at us.

"Leilani, you're with us in the first van, Lucian and Saphira, you're both in the second van, and Nathan and Blaike; third van," my father instructed us before jogging over to the driver side of the first van.

"Just try and calm down the younger ones," my mother suggested to all of us.

I looked at my anxious friends. We were all terrified. Even Blaike, our leader and the guy who showed no emotions had on a gloomy face. A face of uncertainty. I instructed my eleven to enter the van in an orderly fashion and to buckle their seatbelts.

"Why are they really sending us to The Other Side?" asked an older girl as soon as the van started moving.

"I don't know," I told her. "You're the adopted daughter of the Alpha and Luna. You should know everything," said a boy with a tone of annoyance.

What was with the disrespect? "That doesn't mean they tell me everything now stay quiet."

I didn't even know how we were going to get to The Other Side. I just knew whatever Elias and I read in that book and what my parents told me, which was basically nothing. After around thirty minutes of driving in the bumpy vehicle, the van suddenly stopped. The doors opened exposing the outside. My father then instructed all of us to get out. As soon as I got out, I analyzed my surroundings.

We were in the middle of a forest. Dark thick trees surrounded us completely blocking the sky. It was quite chilly causing me to rub my arms up and down. "Follow us!" my father shouted as soon as all three vans were emptied out. I followed my parents as my eleven walked beside and behind me. We continued walking for about five minutes until we saw it. This huge dark cave. "Stay close and follow whoever is in front of you!"

As we walked into the cave, I noticed we were surrounded by tall rock pillars. There were also these wooden ladders leaning against some of the pillars. The cave seemed deserted. "Ah!" the boy beside me shouted as he tripped over a rock.

"I got you," I whispered while helping him regain his balance. "Watch your step." We continued following my parents until we reached the middle of the cave. I immediately noticed a flight of stairs supported by many rocks that led to a tall door. There were these golden stones scattered on the stairs and on some of the pillars that were near the door. The door frame was gold and, in this door, a blue light shone illuminating the atmosphere.

We watched my father as he walked towards the stairs. "Alright, Lucian and Saphira, your group is first." We all watched as they gathered their group and walk slowly towards the stairs.

"Before you walk up the stairs, remember to place your hand on this screen," my father instructed as he held up a tablet in his hand. "I'll go first," Lucian stated. "Please be careful," Saphira sighed.

Lucian placed his hand on the tablet before hesitantly walk up the stairs. Once he got to the top, he first placed his arm into the portal and then the rest of his body. In a matter of seconds, Lucian vanished.

"Alright, come on! Who's next?" One by one, the boys and girls followed Lucian steps; first scanning their handprint and then entering the portal. After Saphira, Blaike, Nathan, and the rest of the others left, it was just me and my group remaining.

I watched my eleven scan their hands then travel up the stairs one by one until they were all gone. I finally stood there alone with my parents feeling strange. I didn't want to go. "Oh, I'll miss you so much," my mother gushed before giving me a hug.

"I'm so sorry it has to be this way. Take care of your friends and yourself and try your best to have fun!" my father said. Have fun? Were they not in the middle of a war over there? After giving my father a hug, I placed my right hand against the cold tablet. "Alright, you can go now."

I stepped forward and placed my foot against the first stair. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. There was no turning back. This was it.

After finally making it to the top of the stairs, I stared into the portal that illuminated the bright blue light. I slowly turned around looking down at my parents. "Goodbye," I whispered. I turned back to look at the portal and finally stepped inside.

It remained blue as I stood there for a brief moment. Suddenly I began to fall. A weird sensation filled my body which made me scream. I fell faster and faster feeling lightheaded. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally made it. I fell onto the green grass. Nathan immediately pulled me up.

"It's alright. We're here," Nathan said trying to calm me down. He removed my hair from my face as I finally regained my balance. Before I could even get a chance to look at my surroundings, a tall black male walked towards us completely gaining my attention.

"Hello. I'm Mateo. Welcome to Latum Alterum, also known as The Other Side."