Her Scar wasn't Blood

Chapter 14 - Getting out of here.

When I awoke, Frye was already staring at me.

"That... happened to you?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

I was silent, not knowing how to respond. It wasn't everything, not by a long shot. Athea had told me that it was supposed to be something fake, something designed to hurt me. But honestly, what I saw was a softer version of reality. The thought of it still made my skin crawl. I hated even recalling it. My dad, standing in the kitchen, looking down at my mom's lifeless body, then turned to me with this wild, panicked look in his eyes. When I asked him what had happened, he didn't speak, just lashed out in fear, cutting my eye. That's why I can't see with it now, why I wear this bandage over it. It's a reminder I never wanted.

We've been sitting here for over an hour now, Frye and I, in front of the closed red portal. Its crimson glow reflected off everything, like a warning sign or a stoplight that we couldn't ignore. Meanwhile, Frye and Athea were deep in conversation, sharing bits of their past like they had all the time in the world.

Then Athea spoke up, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Hey, Astra, I've been meaning to ask you both something," they said.

"Yeah, Athea?" Frye and I replied in unison, curiosity piqued.

Athea shifted a little, hesitating before continuing. "Since we're going to be escaping through the portal together, do you think... would it be alright if I joined you two? I won't be any trouble, I promise—"

"Yes! Absolutely!" I blurted out, not even giving it a second thought.

Frye shot me a glance but smiled, a clear sign that she didn't mind either. It felt like she was okay with adding someone else to our little team. Maybe we should start calling ourselves something, give our group a name-

"Uhm, guys... the portal?" Frye interrupted, her tone tinged with urgency.

We turned to see the portal's color had shifted from red to blue. It was open now, free for us to enter. But what has changed? What had we done to trigger it?

There wasn't time to think. We jumped up and made our way to the portal, ready to leave this place behind. Without hesitation, we stepped into the swirling blue light, bracing ourselves for whatever strange new world awaited us on the other side.