Don't Forget Me

Out of My Comfort Zone

"What?" screeched Sammie while she bounced up and down. "There is absolutely nothing we can do to stop the portal?"

"Not that I know of!" I replied trying to steal my nerves and act calm for her sake as another bit of the wall was cracked off and pulled into the portal.

"It's getting bigger!"

"Calm down!" Ammon snapped, putting his hands on Sammie's shoulders to stop her and she immediately grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Before we freak out lets figure this out. First off, Sky, why did they build a wall around the portal if it was just going to be eaten away?"

"Well according to my grandpa they didn't think the portal was strong enough to pull stone in. Especially a big slab of stone like this," I pointed to the wall that couldn't really be counted as a wall anymore. "Well how it used to be anyways."

"Does it really matter?" Sammie sounded near hysterical. She was squeezing Ammon's hand so hard that his fingers were turning purple. "Can't we just get out of here and talk about it later?"

"She's right," Zach agreed, his face was uncharacteristically pale as he stared at the growing hole in the wall. "We need to get to safety before we get pulled into the portal."
Before he was even done talking Sammie was already almost to the car with Ammon close behind her. Zach and I started to follow them when there was a strange wind in my ear. And I felt like my head was being pulled away from my neck. I slowed down so I was practically walking backwards.

"Skylar!" Zack yelled. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the car again. The skin on my face now felt like it was being pulled off. I glanced at the portal and saw a sight that took my breath away. Green and black swirls spiraling from the world into the center of the portal where there was a bright white light. Just then I realized that the portal was dragging me towards it. I had been too slow to get away from it. Zach was barely making any headway against it so I figured I was done for.

Then there was suddenly two bright lights blazing towards me. Headlights. Ammon pulled his green jeep up next to Zach and I and helped us drag ourselves in. Then he sped out of there before we'd even had the chance to close the door.
_____________

45 minutes. That's how long it took Ammon to drive the usually 2 hour drive back to our neighborhood. That was also how long it took for my face to stop burning like I had rubbed sand paper on it. And only feel like I'd fallen flat on my face on concrete.
"This did not go the way I planned it to," Zach mumbled under his breath. Which I thought was quite unnecessary.

"Obviously," Sammie said glaring at him. Then turned towards me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fi-," I stopped. "Actually I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Zach looked at me in concern. "Are you hurt?"
"I don't think so. My face hurts a bit, but I just pulled it out of a giant vacuum so... I think I'll be fine once I get a good nights sleep. Because I am really tired."
In my head I was saying No I'm not all right! A giant portal just about sucked me up! But I didn't say that.
In the rear view mirror, Ammon narrowed his eyes at me. Being cousins we had spent too much time together as kids for me to be able to fool him.
Finally we pulled into Sammie's drive way where Ammon got out and helped her to the door, where they continued saying good night.
"Thank you," I mumbled looking up at Zach.
"What for?" He looked genuinely confused.
"Well you saved me from the portal! If you hadn't fought against the portal I wouldn't have been able to! The colors I saw were so beautiful and hypnotizing and..." I trailed off staring into space.
"Well, it's what you would've done for me. Besides," He smiled at me. "You let me take you out on a date -finally- it wouldn't have been right to let you get sucked into a parallel universe on it!"
"Okay," I laughed. "I guess we're even then."
"Well actually I was thinking-" he was cut off by Ammon opening the driver's side door.
"Okay, one saved damsel in distress saved," Ammon teased. "One to go."
I ignored his joke and looked at Zach who had moved to the front seat, where Sammie had been sitting, and chuckled at his best friends attempt to lighten the mood.
You came back too soon Ammon. I thought angrily. Then I sat back and blinked. I'd surprised myself with my thoughts of wanting to spend a few more minutes alone with Zach. Usually the only guy I really hung out with alone was Spencer.
Yea I know Zach was one of my best friends but I was usually with him in a group with Sammie or Ammon or sometimes even Morgan (Zach's twin sister. But she had moved to Greece to study greek mythology and couldn't visit very often.)
I shook my head and decided that I was only thinking these things because Ammon sometimes got on my nerves, even without his crazy magic tricks.
Suddenly my door opened and I almost screamed until I saw it was Zach who had opened the door. I'd been so lost in thought that I hadn't realized we had pulled up in front of my house.
I got out of my car and turned to Zach.
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"About what?" Sometimes he was so clueless!
"About the portal of course! We have to warn everyone!"
"I don't know Sky. Why don't we talk about it in the morning?"
"Ok," I sighed. "See you later." With that I sprinted inside. Where my grandparents were already asleep.
While I brushed my teeth I looked at my face in the mirror, because it was still hurting like crazy.
At first I didn't see anything. Then I noticed some slight bruising around my left eye.
Great.
I thought.
Now I'm going to have a black eye!
So I grabbed some ice and went to bed.
__________________

The next day I laid in bed hoping last night had been a bad dream. Eventually I got up the courage to look in the mirror. My face wasn't hurting anymore but if there weren't any bruises my hopes might become facts.
When I looked at my face I caught my breath and couldn't believe what I saw.