Border of Reality

Disoriented

Selki wakes up feeling weird, and unrefreshed. She had felt as if she'd been off running in the forest, her leg muscles screamed at her as her feet hit the ground. She couldn't remember what she dreamt of, rubbing her eyes she nothing more of it and sets out on her morning routine. Brewing her favorite hazelnut-flavored coffee she yawns, in the distance, she hears her phone chirp with a new message, she wanders over to where it sits charging she notices she has a couple of new text messages, all of them from Alyson. Selki notices the time and realizes this is the first she had missed yoga class, most of Alyson's text messages read the same, but one stands out;

A: I hope you're not mad at me for yesterday, or dead, or kidnapped, yoga was weird without you, please don't torture me like that again. Please answer this message or I will come over and through myself through your heavily locked door. 

Before Selki has time to respond to the message she hears a loud pounding on her front door. Knowing that it's no other than her best friend in all her pissed-off glory, Selki debates making her wait before she answers the door. "Selki, if you don't answer this door in three seconds I'm waking up the whole block!" Rolling her eyes at Alyson's statement she rushes to let the deranged woman in before she caused a whole scene, after opening the door she realized she might've been too late seeing as a couple of her neighbors have peered out from their own doors, glares going unnoticed by the fuming woman. 

"Get in here before people start throwing pebbles at your head." Selki warns the other woman before stepping aside to let her in. "Pebbles? Why would they throw pebbles?"  Alyson looks behind her now notices the group of equally pissed-off people and rushes inside. "Quick close the door, and lock your hundred locks!" Selki holds her hand up in an apology manner before closing her door and turning on her best friend. 

"Do you always gather enemies wherever you go?" She asks the blonde who was glaring at her. "Do you always not answer your phone and show up to class?" Alyson counters back, "No, so that's why I'm here to make sure you're not dead or dying." Selki rolls her eyes at the over-exaggeration and makes her way to the kitchen, "How would you have taken it if you came here and I was said kidnapped, dead, or dying?"  Alyson pauses at the question, not knowing what she would've done in order to make sure her friend was alright, so she pulls out the next best thing, the all-favorable pastries. Selki hears the paper sack and turns around to look at the guilt-ridden woman, "You have coffee?" Selki smiles and motions Alyson to follow her into the kitchen as well. "I already have it brewed."  

the women talk about the other night and why Selki left, or rather a lie she had come up with over the pastries and coffee, Alyson asks where Selki went off to yesterday after ditching her and Alexander. Selki's face turns red in embarrassment, knowing that her best friend would make fun of her quirky walks. She motions for Alyson to hold on a second before dashing into her room to retrieve the emerald marble. "Oh wow, it's so pretty!" Alyson gushes over the dark green sphere in Selki's palm. "Where'd you find it?" Selki explains how she started walking and found a small crystal shop, how she kicked the marble, to how she felt unnaturally drawn to it as if she was meant to have it. "Not to mention the old lady that owns the shop said that it wasn't something she had for sell." Alyson looks up from rolling the objection around between her fingers, not one crease or scratch lay on it, it was perfect. "No way? Then how'd you get it?" then she pouts, "That's sad because I want to buy one now." Alyson hands the marble back to Selki, intently listening to the rest of her story. "She said that I could just have it." Selki shrugs and sips on the last bit of her coffee.  

After Alyson left Selki cleans up from the day and gets ready for bed, she takes the marble from the counter and starts walking to her room. Before she reaches the door she starts to hear a low humming sound, it startles her and she drops the marble it starts to roll away the hum following it. Selki chases after the marble reaching out to pick it up, as her fingers graze the sphere a green glow emits from it, reminding her of last night before she went to sleep. Before she can drop it or think anything more of it, she feels a warm rushing feeling throughout her body, her eyesight going black.  

- - - 

I groan at the sharp pain in my temple and sit up before opening my eyes, I must have passed out or drunk something because the birds sound louder this morning, as if I'm right outside with them. My hand touches something soft on my right and something even softer, but definitely warm on my left, I open my eyes and realize I am outside, I look down and see I am sitting in a clearing of shin-high, luscious dark green grass, in a deep green gown. Out of the corner of my eye I can see something white laying down beside me. I turn my head and see that it's a fox, I let out a tiny gasp before slowly inching away from it.

Hearing my gasp and movements the fox's ears perk up and its eyes twitch open. It lifts its head up and looks at me with the most human-looking blue eyes I have ever seen, before standing up and yipping happily at me while pacing back and forth. I start to back away even more afraid of it being dangerous, almost like it senses my fear they stop its yipping and pacing. Before I can blink twice the fox is gone, replaced by a goddess-like woman with fox-like features playing on her face framed with white hair, a sense of deja-vu begins to seep into my conscious.

"Hello, magical Selki, welcome back!" the fox lady says cheerfully as if she is an old friend." You probably don't remember the first time you were here." her voice sounds like warm honey, easing my previous and present concerns about my safety. "My first time here? so I have been here before?" she lets out a yipping laugh and it takes me back to a similar situation with the same lady. "My name is Tyroh, I'm a fox spirit." She smiles blue eyes twinkling happily. "Where are we?" I ask looking around at the clearing that is bordered by a beautiful forest. "So is this like called the marble forest?" she lets out another laugh shaking her head no. "Of course not, welcome to the Mystic."