ALLY (UNEDITED VERSION)

Chapter 20 - Intrigue and Illumination

"Allyson..."

I saw a woman who looked exactly like me. She was just staring at me. Darkness enveloped the surroundings.

"Are you happy with this body of mine?" She asked.

"L-Lara?" Surprise escaped me.

"Yes, it's me.. You're Lara now, and I'm Allyson now..."

"What are you talking about?" Confusion filled my question.

"That I'm now in your world, Allyson..."

"How? How did this happen?"

"I don't know either... the world is powerful... full of mysteries that can't be explained." She said in a serious tone.

"How did we switch worlds, Lara? What's happening to me there? Tell me!"

"Find the answers to your questions..."

And the woman who looked just like me suddenly disappeared...

"How?"

I woke up in the middle of the night, the rain pouring heavily. I got up and drew the curtains closed.

"A dream?"

Could that really happen? Lara is in my world, and I'm in hers.

I'm struggling to understand everything. I might be going crazy.

I've been pondering that dream for days. To me, it wasn't just a mere dream. Lara felt real in it. And it seems we actually did swap worlds. How? What should I do? She mentioned that I should seek the answers to these questions. However, I don't even know where to start. I'm left wondering if I should return to my real world if I ever discover how.

"Who can help me?" Sigh..

I considered confiding in Travis once more. Speaking of Travis, he hasn't reached out since he mentioned having something to attend to. What could have happened?

As I descended the stairs, Travis greeted me with a picnic basket in hand. Huh? What's going on? I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"Lara! Let's go! Get dressed!"

"Huh? Why?"

"We're going on a picnic!" lifting the picnic basket.

"Where to?" I looked around and noticed that Erin and Maggie weren't home. I wonder where they are?

"They've gone out, they have plans..." Travis said.

"Hurry up and stop asking too many questions, we've got somewhere to be..." He grinned.

I simply nodded in response.

We reached a place that was lush and somewhat elevated, offering a clear view of the city below. Travis spread out the picnic mat he had brought, which served as our seats. Then, he began to unpack the contents of the picnic basket. It was a first for me. As I watched him, I felt something I couldn't quite explain.

We're just friends. That's as far as it goes...

"Lara, take a seat," I sat down beside him. It was amusing how well-prepared his food items were. Why did he think of this?

He served the food he had brought: honey buffalo chicken, cheesy shrimp carbonara, Ube cupcakes, and a few snacks.

"Let's eat!"

"Did you cook this?" I asked, referring to the cheesy shrimp carbonara.

"Yes, and the buffalo chicken," he replied as he placed food on my plate and his, then handed me a fork. It not only looked delicious, it truly was. He's really good at cooking... I couldn't help but smile.