Take Me Back To Paddington (SERIES)

Chapter 40 - The Journey II

Apart from Draco's voice, the ticking sound drummed her heart as she kept her eyes closed. There was no wind around, everything was blocked by concrete walls, yet she could feel the tiny hairs on her skin rose. The fear that had become worse every second made her believe that the danger was near, hiding and waiting to jump on her behind the red door.

"Ms Kim, I need you to focus on my voice", Krauss reminded her. His eyes were staring at the woman's face that worried him a little.

"I'm trying", She breathed out.

"You are too scared right now. You have to relax," He said. "Or this will not work."

Jennifer didn't respond by her voice; she nodded instead. She was trying hard to concentrate and be brave for this journey that she brought upon herself, but her effort almost felt like it wasn't good enough as time passed by. Her breathing was getting heavier, her chest was moving fast, which challenged Krauss's mind at that time on what were the ways to make this process easier for the woman in front of him.

"Think of Chae", Draco whispered as soon as he found the right spot in her heart for him to hit. "What is it about Chae that is so hard for you to forget about?"

She took a deep breath, feeling the tears in her eyes that had begun to form when she had to answer that question.

Chae? It was her laughter. It was her little...cute scream. It was when I tickled her on the sofa before our Netflix night started—Chae loved Netflix night with us all. It was when she laughed with her eyes forced shut, hands trying to catch mine on her stomach, yet she never left the spot. She stayed next to me for the entire movie.

It was when I teased around and suddenly bit her shoulder, listening to her squealing, but she didn't push me away. She caught my cheek instead, pulling me close until our heads rested against each other, and I didn't have to look up. I just knew her smile was still there.

Her smile...how can I forget that?

Jennifer exhaled through her mouth and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I really don't think I'm doing this right."

The process was taking too long already, and she was yet to feel anything out of the ordinary. If everything was fine, then she would no longer be there.

For her two best friends' sake, she wanted to believe that the Astray Projection wasn't one big waste of time. She wanted to trust that she was the right person for this mission, but after moments of sitting down in the chair with no sign of success, doubts started to close in on her, snuffing out the optimism she had tried to hold on to.

"Maybe we should start all over again." She continued when Krauss didn't say anything to her first statement.

Then her eyes squinted open and cast an apologetic stare at Lisa, who was still on the same spot she had occupied when Krauss began the process earlier.

"Lisa, I'm sorry." She immediately got up from her chair, not wanting to have eye contact with her friend since guilt had arrived uninvited.

And then she froze, her heart briefly heating up as if a hot rod had just slid through it.
She slowly turned sideways to look at Krauss. Her brows arched. She could have sworn her right hand had bumped into his head when she walked past him.

But she had felt nothing at all.

The man sat unmoving, as though he knew nothing of her presence. That was when she saw it—her own body, sitting motionless on the chair with her hands resting on the armrests while her eyelids remained closed.

"Oh my God!" Jennifer cupped her mouth with her palms and slowly retreated from her soulless body.

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