Parallel Illusions

Chapter 2

I crept through the creaky front door, my steps barely audible against the backdrop of the boiling kettle's persistent hum and the faint murmur of the television. Despite my efforts to remain unseen, my older sister's keen eyes caught me as I tiptoed in. It didn't matter much; there was only one person in this household whose attention I needed to avoid.

"Anthony Harlow!" thundered an angry voice from the living room, causing my heart to skip a beat. Shit.

I entered the dimly lit living room, my voice betraying my nerves. "Yes Dad?"

He sat on the worn-out sofa, his expression stern but not yet fully enraged.

"Where have you been? It's 5:00 pm," he demanded, his tone holding a hint of frustration.

"I know I'm late, but I was over at a friend's house studying!" I lied, instinctively tucking my hands behind my back. Well, I was at a friend's house, but studying wasn't exactly on the agenda.

"What are you hiding?" he interrogated, his gaze piercing. Shit.

"Oh, nothing! I—" I stammered nervously as he approached, seizing my hands from behind my back.

"Nail polish?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with aggression. His grip on my wrist tightened, dragging me towards the kitchen. My chest tightened, and a tremor ran through my body. I knew whatever followed wouldn't be pleasant.

"You're a male, Anthony. Men can't wear nail polish!" he bellowed, reaching for the freshly boiled kettle, its steam billowing ominously. Shit!

"This'll teach you for being a little fa—"

At that moment, a gasp escaped Ace's mouth as he jolted awake in his bed.

"It was just a nightmare," he reassured himself, relief flooding over him.

He looked down at his scares, before getting up to pour himself a bowl of cereal. He didn't care what time it was, he could just occupy himself until the sun came up.

He poured himself a bowl of cereal, Fruit Loops to be exact, before taking a seat on the lounge to watch some television.

"Breaking News! We're receiving reports that a house on Cleveland Road has-"

"Cleveland Road? That's where the twins live" Ace mutters to himself, before turning back to the TV. The screen showed Sunny and Umbreon's house, with half of it completely destroyed. It looked like a tornado came through and took half of their house as it left.

"Holy shit!" Ace yells in disbelief, accidentally dropping his cereal. He rushes to put on a zip-up coat over his red and black plaid cotton pants, an old Fall Out Boy shirt he wore as pajamas, and his pair of worn-out combat boots before rushing out the door.

Once he'd arrived on Cleveland Street, there were almost 3 police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck.

"What on earth happened?" he mutters to himself.

There weren't that many people on the street, but just enough that created a crowd Ace had to find his way through.

Once he'd found himself standing in front of his friend's house, he could see the disaster for himself and not just through the TV screen.

"Please officer, I- '' A voice calls out that catches Ace's attention. Even though whoever was speaking had worry in their tone, they had a soft and calming voice, and if they were speaking to an officer that probably meant they knew the twins.

Ace fights his way through the small crowd towards where the voice is coming from. Maybe they knew what happened to Sunny and Umbreon.

Ace eventually found himself, still in the crowd, but looking at a tall girl with long blonde hair in a messy pony tail wearing pink pajama pants, bunny slippers and a pink oversized shirt. She also had beautiful blue eyes that looked almost the same as Sunny and Umbreon's blue eyes.

She's... really pretty was Ace's first thought, followed immediately by the realization that this wasn't the time for that kind of thought. Still, he hesitated, unsure of how to approach her. Should he even go up to her? What if she didn't know what happened to the twins? But something about her made him think she might.

Just ask, he urged himself, trying to shake off the nerves.

"Excuse me, miss?" Ace called out, trying to sound polite, but his voice cracked slightly. His face flushed, and when she turned to face him, he could feel his palms sweating.

She glanced down at him, her height not by much, but enough to make Ace feel a little smaller. Her soft blue eyes, so similar to his friends', locked onto him, and for a second, Ace thought he might forget how to talk.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice kind, though a bit awkward, as if she wasn't used to this kind of situation.

Ace felt his mouth go dry. Focus!, he scolded himself, but when he tried to speak, the words came out jumbled. "I, uh, couldn't help but notice you were—well, I pieced together that you may—uh—do you happen to know Sunny and Umbreon?"

He winced at how clumsy that sounded, feeling his cheeks heat up even more.

She smiled, though there was a hint of worry in her eyes. "Well, of course, I'm their sister," she said, brushing a stray piece of hair from her face. Their sister? Ace blinked in surprise. They didn't tell me they had a sister.

"Oh! I'm Astrid," she added, as if realizing the confusion in his expression.

Astrid. Wow. Ace tried to nod coolly, but it probably just looked awkward. "Right! I'm Ace. I'm, uh, their friend." He felt ridiculous, standing there in front of her, tripping over his words. His heart pounded like he was running a race, even though he was just standing still.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Astrid's gaze softened. "Ace? Oh, you're the one who works with them, right? Sunny mentioned you." She paused, then her lips curled into a small grin. "First day, and I didn't get the chance to meet you before the house... decided to collapse."

Ace laughed nervously. "Y-yeah, uh, that's right." He ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what to say next. "I guess it's not the best first impression." Smooth, real smooth, he mentally kicked himself.

"Don't worry," Astrid chuckled softly. "It's not like I was traveling the world or anything. I mean, I can barely get across town without a ride."

Ace laughed, but it came out more like a snort, which made him cringe. Why am I so weird around her? "I could, uh, give you a ride sometime if you ever needed... Not that you need one! But, like, if you wanted..."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, amused by his stumbling, and Ace immediately wanted to sink into the ground.

Before the awkwardness could overwhelm him completely, Ace's eyes drifted to the wreckage behind her, and something caught his attention. Through the debris, he saw the shed where he and Umbreon had been working on the portal weeks ago. His heart skipped a beat.

"Wait—" He blinked, suddenly alert. "The portal! I think I know what happened..."

Ace ducked under the caution tape and sprinted through the shattered remains of the house, Astrid trailing behind him. Somehow, the officers didn't notice. Ace figured he knew how to work the portal... sort of. He did help make it, after all. He thought he could fix this, and even though Astrid had no idea what was going on, she did to.

He was certain Umbreon had accidentally activated the portal, taking Sunny, and half the house, with him. And Ace was absolutely right.