Twenty-four hours (Farah Dowling x OC)

Encounter

Hello!

This is my first fiction in English, so don't hesitate to give me pointers for this beautiful language.

I don't own the universe, only my character.

Enjoy!

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Farah had one day.

After the shepherd's death, she wanted to deny it. It was impossible, they had killed all the Burned Ones... The price they paid for it was too high for the menace to resurface today. Sixteen years later, when a Changeling came up from nowhere, with more power than she had ever seen...

She couldn't lie to herself.

It wasn't prudent, it probably wasn't even efficient, but she had to see for herself. She had to investigate.

Ben had sighed and lectured her, but Saul had just smiled.

"I know you, Farah, you have to do it. But if you don't come back tomorrow, I'll raise hell to get you out of there"

Sometimes she couldn't believe how lucky she was. To have not one, but two best friends, brothers, who understood her better than herself... Despite everything she had done. She didn't deserve them, and yet they stayed fiercely by her side.

Twenty-four hours.

That's all she has before Saul decides to get her with an army and probably a lot of dramas, which weren't a good idea in these troubled times. She wanted discretion, that was why she was alone, despite the very strong disapprobation of her friends.

So, with so very little time, she followed the tracks.

Was the beast alone? Where did it come from? Did it kill someone else?

At first glance, she seemed lucky, but she can never be too sure. So, when the tracks -residual magic, for the beast did emanate some kind of magic- led her to the First World, her blood went cold.

Could it be that they simply hid in another world, far from extinct?

She crossed the portal between the worlds, and stepped foot in America, California. Close to where she found Bloom. Was it a coincidence? She wanted to believe it, but it seemed less and less likely. But how could she know if the Burned One stayed in the vicinity, calmly waiting for the Fire Fairy to come back?

Farah had to ask the population.

That wasn't quite what she had imagined, when she entered a bar, not knowing where to start. She scanned the crowd, dancing, drinking, playing pool and loudly talking. It wasn't her kind of place, and she felt ridiculously overdressed in her nice blouse and hairdo.

She needed a drink, as much for appearances' sake than the need to have something familiar to hold on.

She sat at the bar and became immediately overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices, all with strange names. None of them she recognized. Of course, in another world, she couldn't expect the alcohol to remain the same, but somehow, it was a jarring experience.

-Hi! You seem a bit lost here.

She frowned, fully expecting a man trying to get her attention; instead, it was a woman her age, with an amused smile on her face. The low voice could have fooled her, but it had suave notes that could only belong to a girl.

-I wasn't expecting so many choices, she admitted.

-Then may I recommend something? My treat. You'll tell me if you like it or not.

-Well, why not?

Farah didn't have much to lose, and a beginning of conversation could only help her in asking questions. If it was just one drink, it couldn't impact very much her mind, who needed to be clear.