Nova and the Three Worlds

Chapter 2: A Weird Thing Called a Portal

     Once I'm in the portal it's like looking into a kaleidoscope everything is changing and it's colorful, very colorful. The colors remind me of happy memories, but I only have a few and none of them are recent. It smells like my favorite desserts, gooey chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, a freshly made cake still cooling to warm to put the icing on, and cobbler that sweet scent of berries with a little ice cream. Yum! I remember the local bakery in my old town and going there every Sunday after church for a cookie if me and Summer, my younger sister were well behaved.

     That's when I look down and I realize there is no floor, just a void by the looks of it. It makes me stop thinking about the bakery and back to the present situation. I look up and there seems to be more and more portals like a full on traveling system. There are at least five different walkways above us before I can't see and it turns into a soft pink hase.The people above us look like they are just floating around to their destination. I bring my focus back in front of me where I see a bright spot that looks like another portal. By the time I stop looking around Ethan is already walking to who knows where on nothing but what looks like air.

     I hesitate unsure what trick my eyes are playing on me but then I take a shaky breath and step forward. When I realize that I won't fall I jog to catch up.When I finally catch up to Ethan he still has his readless expression but he looks like he wants to smile and relax. He doesn't seem to notice all the elaborate colors or he just doesn't care. I wonder how many times he has walked through a portal as a way of traveling.

     All the sudden the bright happy colors are gone and replaced by dark shades of red and midnight black, and the smell of the bakery is gone replaced by the smell of things I don't like, garbage that has been in the heat for to long, expired milk that should have been thrown out weeks ago, black licorice. Ethan gives me a glance back and his expression tells me this is not supposed to happen.

     He stops walking and I get right next to his side. "What's happening?" I asked trying not to sound scared but I think I failed. 

" I have no idea but it doesn't look good." Then he pulls out his weapon and curses under his breath. 

Before I can even ask why he explains. "After you fire a happy dream or memory from a HML you have to let it recharge." 

"What does HML stand for?" "Happy memory launcher" I can't help but laugh at the name, but Ethan gives me a glare and I know I should be quiet.

     For some reason though it felt good to laugh and that's when I realized I haven't laughed in over a year. My best friend could always get me to laugh but when we moved over a year ago I found it hard to laugh without thinking about her, so to fix the problem I just don't laugh.

     I realized that Ethan was talking to me. "...got it?"

 "What did you say?" Ethan just rolls his eyes and starts again. 

"Ok so if you're gonna pay attention this time, we need to get to Command. There's the entrance over there, we have to sprint to get there. I have a bad feeling about the way the colors are now dark, like a nightmare, but I think Command will have the answers."

 "I hope. On three?" 

"One... two..." Before Ethan could say three the entire place shook like an earthquake was happening. We both looked at each other and then sprinted as hard as we could to the portal on the other side of the room. Ethan went in first and I dove in right after him.

     My shoulder hits the cold tile first followed by my head then my hips. The place has a weird smell almost as if it were underground. Then I try to get up but slide and fall back down again. I hear a laugh and Ethan is there offering his hand to me.

     I refuse of course and then get up only to realize I'm being stared at by several people. I didn't realize that most of them were glaring at Ethan as he looked around the crowd. That's when the crowd started to yell and go into chaos.

    Before I knew it there was a violent jolt on my arm and I'm being dragged by someone who had an iron grip just like Ethan's so again for the second time today I couldn't shake free. I can't turn to see the person who has me but I can tell it's a man because of the shoe size. His palm is rough and calised. The first thought that goes through my head I hate but I have to use it. 

"Ethan help".

 "I can't Nova" that's all he says then he disappears from view and I continue to struggle against the man who has me in his grasp. 

"Stop!" he says with his deep voice. 

Well me being me I don't, so he used his free hand to grab something. I don't know what it was but based on the prick feeling on my neck a few moments later I guessed it was a syringe. After that my eyelids felt heavy until I closed them and fell into unconsciousness.