The Grinch X OC: A Human Visitor

Chapter 6: Working Through It

Despite the calming nature of her surroundings, the woman was suddenly thrust into a panic, body springing up and eyes darting to and fro like bullets to try and remember where she was and how the hell she got there.

And then, it clicked.

It all came crashing down like a bolt of lightning, like rushing water breaking a dam, like a jump scare in a movie. Her mouth moved to curse out, to make a sound, but the muscles constricted, and any noise was caught in her throat.

Camping trip. Falling unconscious. Snow. No service. Rock Climbing. Bloody fingers. Singing. A talking dog. An old mattress.

The Grinch.

No. That was...impossible! It had to be! All of it! None of that really happened, right? Either she was lucid dreaming at the moment, or all that schoolwork was finally getting to her head.

In the end, though, no matter what she thought to herself, the unmistakable pointed rock and movie hues of the cave were enough to convince her. So was the dirty mattress she was lying on, and the slight smell of dog on her hands from petting Max, and the bandages on her fingertips, and the ratty blanket from before currently clutched in her fists.

A part of her wished none of this was real, even though it was a dream come true at the same time. The feeling of her heart being raised to the ceiling in elation and sunken to the deepest pits of her stomach mixed into a disgusting concoction that left a bad taste in her mouth. The girl swallowed it down, smacking her tongue to rid the taste. It didn't help.

She thought about talking because maybe she could convince herself that she was still dreaming. However, she supposed that wouldn't really be of any use. Everything she went through was real, she knew deep down. If anything, talking would only bother her sleepy ears, and possibly alert anyone else close by. She needed time to compose herself.

So, Brittany didn't dare make a sound, didn't sigh, didn't really move much. She only stared around at what she'd be forced to call her new room, her new home, for now. Or forever.

Her heart fell out of her body and sunk to the floor.

The woman guessed it didn't really click up until now; she was so caught up in settling in and marveling at the wonder of the foreign world around her. Now she was crying, feeling extremely hopeless and not even making an attempt to at least wipe her tears away.

Huh, and to think that moving to college was daunting. At least Brittany's family had been in the same universe as her.

After letting the pity party go on for a bit longer, the pained brunette felt the tears cease. Crying was an excellent emotion reliever, but that wouldn't get her home.

After some long, shaking breaths, the girl knew that she needed a game plan of sorts. Wallowing in panic and helplessness would only make her go insane. Even if the young woman didn't go to school long enough to learn the art of portal crafting, she had to try something. All of what she learned as a scientist-in-training would be put to the test, but it was a challenge she would have to take.

One step at a time, though, Brittany reminded herself when her stomach suddenly rumbled loudly. The human girl frowned, worried that she'd have to dig through that wretched dump for food, but was relieved when she remembered the various snacks she had packed for the camping trip. Hungry eyes darted around the space for her possessions, and at last, found them lying against the wall adjacent to her bed. She knew the Grinch wasn't in the mood for helping her settle in last night, so she and Max must have put them there.

Chilly fingers wrapped around her coverings before pulling them to the side, and even with thick pajamas and a sweater, the frosty air still bit through the fibers and dug into her flesh. A shiver ran up the brunette's spine, and she made a mental note to tell the Grinch to build a heater for her or something. That was, if he ever wanted his new sidekick to stay alive for more than a week.