It's finally Lunch, and I toss my things into my locker in a rush. I head over to Wilson and Willnia, who are chatting at their shared locker.
"Hey." I greet the pair with a small wave of my hand.
"Hi!" Willnia spins around, her skirt twirling around. She smiles widely, completely oblivious to the extreme change of the pigmentation in her body. She's already a bit paler than she was in Math class---she's deteriorating very fast, and that's pretty worrying.
"We should all walk downstairs together. Kasey's busy, and Kyle's staying in the classroom to finish up some work." I suggest. Willnia throws a glance at Wilson over her shoulder, and he nods. She turns back to me and does the same. "Great."
We start down the hallway, our mindless small talk one of the only sounds in the empty corridor.
I stare at the floor as we walk, just waiting for something bad to happen.
Suddenly, something does.
"Willnia, are you okay? You're stumbling a lot. And, come to think of it, you're pretty pale. Like, vampire pale." Wilson points out, stopping in his tracks. I pause, too, looking up from my feet to see that Willnia's coloring is rapidly fading away. She's leaning against Wilson, her shoulders slumped and her arms slack at her sides. Her dark gray eyes can't seem to focus on anything, and are looking kind of glassy.
"Will---" she starts to say. Then, she's on the floor, limp and staring up at the ceiling.
"Willnia!" Wilson shouts in a panic, dropping to his knees beside her and shaking her shoulders.
"Oh...oh my God...um, Wilson, help me get her to the science lab, now." I stutter, heaving Willnia up and slinging one arm around her waist. Wilson does the same and helps me lug her into the lab nearby.
Willnia's body lays unconscious on the counter as I mix the blue and red liquids in a beaker to form the Vioval Portal.
"Wait, no, we can't do that!" Wilson protests, reaching for the beaker.
I grab his wrist. "We have to, Wilson. If she doesn't go back now, she'll die."
I let go of him, and his arm falls back down. I look back to the portal, which is fully formed. "Help me here." I instruct, grabbing Willnia again. She's completely lost color now. Her skin is pure white, her hair gray and her eyes nearly black.
We haul her to the portal and try to push her inside. She's about halfway through, the hues of her body returning quickly. She regains consciousness as her tether is repaired by the portal.
"Willnia, are you okay?" Wilson asks, approaching her.
"Yes, but I can't stay. I have to go home now."
"You're leaving?"
"I'm sorry. I know I made you promise never to leave me, and I'm sorry I couldn't make the same commitment."
"It's alright, as long as you're alive and happy."
"I will be. Although I'll feel this loss every day until we meet again."
"That must be soon. I can't survive without you."
"You'll have to for a while. But don't worry, I'll be waiting." Willnia then leans in and kisses his cheek. "Because I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Goodbye, Willie."
Willnia disappears into the portal, and it closes. She's really gone.
Wilson looks shaken. A single tear slides down his face, and he falls to his knees.
~ The End ~