Lake's Journey in the Prime World | Infinity Train: After Book 2 (beta version)

A Lovely Family

"I'm Lake," She declared as she gazed at her own reflection on the water.

It was the first reflective surface she was able to look at without fearing the Flecks would jump out of it to catch her. She was safe now. No more running, no more hiding. Just being herself.

She liked that, the feeling as she looked at her own reflection. It was reassuring and peaceful, a reminder she managed to achieve just everything she ever wanted, just like she had dreamed for so long. She could start her new life, here, in the Prime World. No restrictions, no limitations. Just everything she ever hoped for and more. For the first time ever, everything finally seemed perfect.

After commenting on Lake's name and making fun of Jesse by how he managed to hurt himself while trying to flick Lake's forehead in return for all those times she did that to him, she turned around once again to the lake, breathing the fresh evening air and appreciating the shades of red and orange which painted the beautiful sunset sky that would reflect on lake and the spring falling leaves.

She really was free. Free from the Mirror World. Free from Tulip. Free from The Train.

She took a look around the lake and noticed all the little things that would go unnoticed by an aloof look.

All the rocks, the grass, even the mud seemed more real and alive than ever.

She kneeled towards some funny-looking pointy things emerging from the ground, "Are these...?" She asked with a curious look.

Jesse laughed before kneeling beside her followed by Nate, "Those are cactus," Lake poked them.

Jesse thought about warning her they would prick her but then immediately remembered her skin was probably too hard for her to feel any significant pain from the spikes.

"I thought you knew about this stuff. Since your time with your Prime." Jesse asked.

"And I know," She answered with a smile, "I've just never seen them in real life in the wild." 

It was true. Minnesota wasn’t exactly the ideal place for warm-weather plants like cactus to grow naturally and if she remembered seeing any cactus on The Train they’d probably talk or wear hats or anything else equally random.

Jesse smiled tenderly with the vision of his friend’s wide smile as she poked the cactus with the same wonder as a child's first time seeing snow.

“What about this?” Lake quickly got up and went towards a nearby tree which had some resin clots coming from the trunk.

“I wouldn’t advise you to-” Jesse warned, but it was too late.

“Eww” She’d already touched the resin, leaving her fingers all sticky and slimy. “I knew this would happen, why did I do this?” Lake asked herself laughing. 

Probably because it was her first time as herself in the Prime World. She could finally do what she wanted. She had control of her own actions. She obviously could do that on The Train, but there, even a rubber chicken could have its own actions. 

Here, everything seemed realistic and authentic. It was like she was born once again, this time as it should have always been. 

“Because you’re an idiot?” Jesse shrugged, answering her rhetorical question while laughing.

She slowly turns to him with a daring look, as if he had just provoked a sleeping dragon. Lake’s lips curve up before she quickly sticks her sticky hand on his face rubbing off the resin she had left on her fingers.

“Eww, come on! That’s disgusting!” Jesse complains, trying to rub off the resin from his face with his letterman jacket’s sleeve while Lake starts running backward already expecting his revenge, which he immediately complied. “Come back here!”