[Woohoo! Found this fellow wattpadder, melisrowe, and she had some awesome ideas to write about. I really want to read her stories so can people comment so she doesn't give up on them? Awesome (sauce)! Lolage, longer piece this time, so I hope you enjoy it! Happy Reading! ^_^]
Belinda squeezed Jack's hand tightly as the portal behind them vanished. The new world was gloomy - and big. It's sheer vastness terrified Belinda. How long would it take to find him? Would they find him? Or would they just wander around helplessly, until one of the genies decided to pick them off? She stifled a sob and Jack squeezed her hand again.
"Look, we'll find him, okay? It's not impossible - he's found you before, right?"
Belinda breathed in deeply, leaning on Jack's arm for support. He always knew what to say, always knew what was bothering her. Sometimes, she wondered whether it bothered him, this unbelievable connection they had, or if he enjoyed it as much as she did. Other times, she was just grateful he hadn't abandoned her the minute she said 'genie'.
Eventually, they started moving, both of them searching for any sign of Keith. It might take days to find him - it might take weeks. But Belinda was determined not to give up, not to leave him behind. Jack was every bit as anxious but he was better at covering it. He could be cool as a cucumber if he wanted to, though he was always himself. It made it easier for her to talk about things.
Jack couldn't believe he was actually walking around this strange world, that they had conjured up with a portal, no less. He'd never really believed in the supernatural, never thought that other beings could exist in secret. And now...Belinda had made it blatantly clear that he was being blind when he thought nothing but the ordinary was real. And to think! He'd been hanging out with one of those 'secret beings' since he was four!
"Keith!!!" He called out, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound. "Keith, come out!!! We've come to take you home!!!"
Belinda started mimicking him, her voice high next to his, a squeak compared to the rough bark. And she could hear - things - moving. She knew it couldn't be Keith making those awful noises but it scared her, enough that she almost stopped calling out. It terrified her that it couldn't be helped. It terrified her more that he hadn't heard them yet. Would he be able to hear them? Was he too far away and all they were doing was calling attention to themselves?
* * *
That was how they spent the next few - days? Belinda thought it was days, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't need to sleep, eat, anything. It was like...being in a dream itself. Sometimes, she thought she was asleep, wandering in a nightmare. It might have been easier to accept, in a way. But she wasn't about to give up, not after everything she had needed to do to even get here.
"Keith!!!" she called out again, her voice much less hoarse than Jack's. The thought of Keith was all that kept her going, up that blasted hill. Jack's hand in hers was another support, driving her through. "Keith!!!"
Finally, Jack helped drag her over the hill, both of them searching. Part of her was scared that they would never find him, part of her dreading that when they did, he would hate her. Maybe he did hate her, maybe that was why he had told her not to come, maybe-
And then she saw him, just like he was in her last 'dream'. She was crying as she flung herself to him, sobbing his name.
* * *
"Keith!!!"
Keith's ears perked up at the sound. It was distant but he was sure it was a familiar voice. In fact, he was almost positive it was Belinda's. But he had told Belinda - rather vehemently - not to come after him. She couldn't possibly have ignored him, couldn't possibly be-
