The Other Side

Chapter 1

I came from the other side

"Hey! Wake up! Can you hear me?" she heard a woman's voice shouting at her side. She slowly opened her eyes and found a woman looking down at her.

Disoriented, she recalled the memories of the past evening. She remembered running so fast, then the tree pulled her, then she was rolling down on something and then she was drowning. She tried opening her mouth and speak but her throat was so constricted that she only managed to croak.

Her eyes wandered to make sense of their surroundings. There were trees everywhere and she could hear a gushing stream not far from where she was. She glanced back at the woman kneeling at her side. The woman reached for something and pulled out a spherical object. She opened its lid and offered it to her.

"Open your mouth and drink it. Do not fret, it is just water." She softly said. Ara didn't hesitate to open her mouth and drank from the flask.

After she downed all its contents, the unknown woman closed its lid and help her sit up. "My name is Adriya. The girl over there..." she pointed at another woman far away from them. "...Is my friend Raveena. We saw you near the riverbank, almost dead. Are you feeling fine now?" she asked.

She inspected herself and surprisingly found that her ankle looked fine and her skin was smooth as if the wounds were never there in the first place. She began to wonder if she was just dreaming that night because maybe she got drunk and unknowingly slept in the ground. However, her messy hair and torn dress was a glaring evidence that it was no dream.

"You do not have to worry about your wounds, I healed it already. Just a few potions and herbs and you are good to go. Though be careful with your head as you might have a concussion."

She frowned at her words. Potions and herbs? What the heck does she mean by that?

"I-I don't u-understand," she said slowly. "Where am I?" she asked as she looked around. There are unmistakably numerous huge trees and plants she had never seen before everywhere she looked. It was a literal unfamiliar jungle and looked nothing like the woods she knew.

She tried to dig her memories of what happened last night. Then, she remembered a freaking tree pulling her!

"You are in the ancient forest. The biggest forest in the Niurus Kingdom." she said which made her more confused.

"Niurus Kingdom? Ancient forest? What the heck is that?"

"What do you mean? You do not know about it?"

Okay, lady. If I knew, I wouldn't be asking.

"I really don't know what's going on or where I am. I remember a tree pulling me and I just fell into something and then I just woke up! What the heck is going on?!"

The woman looked strangely at her before responding, "It seems that you have hit your head badly. Do you remember your name?"

"It's Dianneara. Dianneara Sanchez" she answered. Adriya nodded at her and called out her friend.

It was this time that she noticed the two of them were dressed differently. They each had scarves wrapped around their neck and shoulders with some strange patterns printed on them.

She noticed the friend looked at her from head to toe. Based on their appearance, she guessed they were probably the same age as her.

"I have never seen someone wear something as vulgar as that garment," she commented which made Ara's eyebrow rose.

Vulgar?! She was wearing her most decent dress that can be labeled conservative with her peers. It was formerly a nice blue dress whose skirt reached just above her knee. How is that vulgar?!

"Excuse me--"

"Tell me woman, where did you come from?" the woman interrupted.

"I come from? I don't understand—are you asking me where I live?"

They just looked at one another and Adriya nodded at her in return. She tattled her complete address but the look on their faces tells her that they don't recognize the place.

"I have never heard of a place like that. Is that part of a certain kingdom or republic?" Adriya asked.

She scoffed. "No! Of course not. What are you guys talking about? There is no kingdom for like, centuries! Well... except for some countries but the point is, most countries are not into monarchy anymore!" she argued and they are now more confused as much as she is.

"Didn't you say that a tree pulled you last night?" Adriya asked. She went silent for a moment and then suddenly her eyes widened as if she discovered something. "I think she is not of this place. She probably came from the other side!" Adriya exclaimed.

Ara frowned. I came from the other side?

"That is the only plausible explanation. She does not seem to know anything about where she is." Adriya continued.

"Okay, hold up. What do you mean?" she asked. Adriya breathed deeply and looked at her seriously.

"There is a myth that says, there is a world vastly different from here. We call it the other side. It was said that a portal to the other side is found here. But it is only a myth. It was never proven that such a world nor does the said portal exist. Are you really sure you have not lost any memory?" she said.

Ara just blankly stared at her while thinking that this girl must be mad. Myths, portals, and worlds? She can't tell if she was the one who hit her head badly or this Adriya.

"Okay lady, I know I hit my head twice but I can perfectly remember who I am and where I live. And I'm pretty sure I didn't come from any kind of kingdom." Ara said. The two strangers looked at each other strangely.

"Well, if you truly, I mean if the myth is true, how did you cross from the other side to here?" Adriya asked.

"Cross from the other- what the heck are you talking about? It's like you're implying that I end up in some other dimension." she exasperatedly responded.

"Well, it could be a possible explanation if you truly did not accidentally mix up your memories. And you do not seem to have any knowledge about things in this world" Adriya reasoned.

"That cannot be true Adriya. It is just a myth. If it was indeed true, then everyone by now should have been exploring it. This myth is just some kind of story that people forged so no one would dare stray in this forest." The friend, whose name she forgot, strongly argued.

"So how are you going to explain what she said about where she came from?" Adriya asked and stood to face her friend.

"Well, it is either she mixed up her memories or she lied to us." The friend then looked at her accusingly.

"Hey, I just almost died, girl! And I really need to go home or my aunt will skin me alive if I don't. Why would I waste my time lying to you when obviously the both of you are the ones who are making up stories!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, let us calm down everyone. We are not going to solve anything with temper. We are not lying, Dianneara. We truly have no idea about the place you said you lived. It seems to me that you also have no idea what we are talking about." Adriya explained.

She sighed heavily and slumped in her seat. She doesn't understand what the heck is going on. She is starting to become anxious because both of them looked sincerely confused as she is that she barely noticed a long vine curled up in her leg.

"What the-"

And for the second time since that damned dog chased her, she screamed when it pulled her harshly away from the strangers.