Primordial: The Other Side

Chapter I- Rainbow Vomit and Rabbit Girls

"Shit," Kamaria grumbles, her eyes squeezing shut to block out the chaos surrounding her. Looking around is dumb anyway. It's too loud to even coherently hear her own thoughts. The sound of waves crashing onto the shore like relentless drums, the malicious shrill cries of mischievous, and the distant thud of a ship docking into the rundown lighthouse along with the crispy smell of seawater and wet sand which is eerily familiar —a strange mixture that feels both unsettling and oddly comforting.

She curls her spine and pulls her knees tightly against her chest. Her long nails dig into the cotton of her striped pajamas. It's a desperate attempt to keep the remnants of her mac and cheese dinner down, fighting against the rising tide of nausea. It feels as if she's trapped within a gigantic spring, tightening around her as the world spins out of control—a twisted nightmare of a carousel ride. Forces push her right and downwards in a circular motion. It's like the sheer pressure of whatever she found herself in was trying its hardest to compact her into a 1 by 1 cm cube. Kamaria's heart races.

"Damn it. I loved carousels," she mutters, her voice barely a whisper; rough, strained and sounding raspier than usual in her ears. Each shallow breath burns in her lungs, intensifying the stinging sensation. "Ok ok," she mumbles lowly. With reluctant determination, she forces her eyes open. The bright light stabs at her pupils, making them contract painfully. She should probably look away. Obviously. But no; curiosity strands her gaze, wide and unblinking, as she releases her grip on her bare legs.

A sudden cool gust of wind whips around her, sending shivers down her spine. She flails her arms instinctively, desperate to maintain her balance against the disorienting spin. She takes in the environment. If this wasn't her imagination, Kamaria would have thought that it was almost pretty.

The pinks, yellows, and blues twirl together in a breathtaking dance as they create a flurry of color. Each color sharply folds over the next intricately like the crisp folds of a freshly ironed t-shirt. The swirling colors made Kamaria dizzy, but beneath the chaos, she felt a spark of excitement. "What the-" she gulps, apprehension creeping in. Ok, so she's definitely losing it. Was this madness, or was it magic?

As she spirals downward (mind you: against her will) the pleasant seaside sounds fade away and are replaced by the louder sounds of chatter, laughter, and the clickity-clackety of metal sliding down a track. She glanced down at her bare feet, seeing the colors around her fading. They fade eerily from vibrant neon shades to pastel hues as if life is being leached away. Is this the light you're supposed to walk to? Her muscles tense and her posture becomes stiff. A chilling realization strikes her like an icy wave. But it's too late. Terror freezes her in place, her lips agape in horror as the color drains from her face, leaving her dark skin looking ghostly pale against the swirling horizon.

***

Kamaria rubs her eyes to snap herself back into reality and clear the haze that blurred her vision, but all she could were the trembling shadows of her own hands, ghostlike, reminding her of her disorientation. She clutches her pajamas, the cool cotton grounds her in an otherwise dizzying reality, but the rising tide of anxiety makes that grounding feel precarious considering the rising tide of anxiety. "Hmm," she mumbled, a soft sound that barely echoed her state of mind. She glanced up at the bright lights above, swirling like the thoughts in her head. Perfect. Of course, she'd sleepwalked right out of her room without her glasses—absolute genius move. Her eyelids droop with the weight of the night. Her eyelids droop slightly as they threaten to fall. Tomorrow was supposed to be the first day of school so maybe this was her prayers being answered or her mind orchestrating this strange dream a final act of rebellion? Was she being punished for her desperate plea of freedom? If that was the case, she promises she'll never complain about having to wake up early again or putting on a stuffy prep-school uniform everyday.