Unfathomable

Chapter 3 - The Crash (Elara)

I knew Apollo stepped into the portal behind me. Once I was in the portal, though, a small wave of nausea hit. I could hear beeping sounds, and a quick word was whispered into my ear.
"Pallanysa."
I could not register the word before I was thrown into a different room.
I was overly dizzy, as if I spent the past three hours spinning.
I had no idea the world could spin so much.
"Elara. Yo, Elara. Get up," I saw blurry hands waved into my face, and I tried to raise my head to see them better. I unconsciously moved to get the world to stop being so dizzy, but to no avail.
"Ughhh...." I grumbled, setting back onto the cold metal floor.
"Hey, is she okay?" I heard another voice, more feminine, pipe up behind me.
"Did any of you have this reaction towards the Sorting Portal, because this seems unnatural..." I think I could just barely make out the voice who said that. Apollo.
    "Aplo? Is tha' yoo..?" I asked, slurring half of my words. I think he got what I was saying, because he responded back.
    "Yeah. You okay, Elara?" He asked.
    "Dizzy..." No other words have a chance to come out of my mouth. Then I felt arms around me, and the ground disappeared below me. I could feel my eyes trying to focus, but to no avail.
     I felt cushion under me, and I waited a couple more minutes with my eyes closed.
    I was almost perfectly fine, and I kept taking large, deep breaths until I was coordinated enough to stand.
     I sat up, looking to see Apollo, another girl, and two other guys. Apollo and the girl, with sandy blonde hair and piercing green eyes, looked at me, worry etched on their face.
    "Elara, I don't think anyone had that reaction before. Can you tell me what happened?" Apollo asked. I nodded.
     "I don't think it helps much, but as soon as I stepped in I felt nauseous, then really dizzy. That's honestly it." I explained, then my blood turned cold.

Eon.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, Apollo backed off, taking the girl with her. I bit my lip, feeling regret from leaving Eon by himself in this world.
"It is for the greater good..." I murmured to myself.
"It is. From all of the people I have seen, you have been one of the most selfless ones. Thinking about your family and the country before your feelings. I have to commend you for that." I heard Apollo behind me. I smiled weakly.
     "He doesn't understand..." My lower lip trembled for a moment, but I took a deep breath and clutched the locket on my neck. My muscles relaxed, and I took another deep breath.
    "I'm fine now. I'm fine. Let's just wait until we get on... What planet are we going to?" I asked.
     "Pallanysa. And, by the way," Apollo handed me a bracelet, "It keeps you from turning into your spirit. I heard, from where we are going, if you don't wear one of these, then you'll be forced to mesh with the spirit you have and become Lupine. It's really painful. I think." Apollo finished. I nodded, and slipped the bracelet on.
     I felt as if something built a wall between me and my spirit. I flinched, but pretended nothing happened. Apollo sent me a sympathetic look.
     "We have a long wait.." one of the two guys I did not know observed.
     "I'm Comet and this is Orion. The girl over there is Fay. Nice to meet you." The guy next to him spoke out. Comet extended a hand, and I shook it. He broke out in a grin. Orion was talking with Fay, seemingly not to notice my presence. It really did not matter to me, anyway. Fay glanced at me once, and seemed to cheer up. She grabbed Orion's wrist and pulled him towards me, smiling brightly.
"Hey! I'm Fay, what's your name?" The blonde with green eyes from earlier asked brightly.
"I-I'm Elara. It's so amazing to meet you!" I exclaimed with relief. This girl was so nice and bright, she put a large smile to my face. I giggled, and Fay turned to Orion.
Orion was looking to the ground, seeming bashful. He had wavy, black hair and one green, one yellow eye.
"Well, Elara, this is Orion. Orion, this is Elara," Fay introduced, bouncing as if she was on a trampoline. Orion watched her hair, which bounced up and down, then settled back within its place. He smiled when she did, and I noticed he totally likes Fay.
When Fay turned, I pointed to her and sent a wink to Orion, and he blushed.
I covered my mouth to muffle a giggle.
    Fay turned, confused.
     "What's so funny?" She asked. I clamped my hand over my mouth, but I could not suppress a laugh. Apollo gave me a knowing grin. Comet, who was standing beside Apollo, tilted his head in confusion.
     Apollo quickly gestured his fingers toward Fay and Orion. A mischievous grin then covered his features. I walked over to Apollo and whispered, "I so ship it!"
     "Me too," he whispered back.
      Then the ship sputtered, and rocked violently. I was thrown against Apollo, which broke my fall on the cold, metal wall.
    Sirens.
     "Apollo! What's going on!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, to drown out the loud siren noises.
    "I don't know!" He screamed in my ear.
     A dropping feeling in my stomach.
     Screams.
     We were falling out of the sky.
     Out of space.
     I was not sure who was screaming now.
    I watched as the wall behind Fay and Orion started to break and crack.
     My blood ran cold.
     I'm falling. I'm going to die. My friends are going to die.
I needed to save someone, anyone. I do not want them to leave me.
I grabbed Apollo and covered him with my body before I felt the impact.
I was jerked downwards, and my elbow met something warm and wet.
I looked down.
Bad idea.
The body of Fay, without half of her left arm and headless.
A scream. For a second, I thought it was Apollo or someone else, but I realized it was me. I was screaming.
I screamed until my voice gave out, and then I was just left with hyperventilating.
Pain.
It spiraled up my spine and into the base of my head. I dragged myself out from being sandwiched in Apollo and the dead Fay.
Dead.
Fay is dead. The ball of sunshine, the light in the crowd.

It was snuffed out, in a matter of seconds.

I dragged myself around, looking to find Orion or Comet.
Orion. Dead.
Comet. Torn to shreds.
What really broke me was the head of Fay, a few feet behind the shredded body of Comet.

     Her face forever stuck in a silent scream.

I grasped my head in my hands, silently sobbing over the shock.
I cannot do this.
My breaths came out short and ragged, and I clawed at my throat.
Not enough air.
I need to breathe.
My head felt light, then I felt something soft on my lips. It gave me air.
     Air. I can breathe.
     I took deep gulps of air, and my eyes focused, even though I did not remember them unfocusing.
    Apollo.
     "Thank the Lupine Gods you're alive!" I cried, wrapping my arms around Apollo.
     I felt tears coming to my eyes after my memory rushed back.
     "They're dead, Apollo," I whimpered.
     "I know," was all he said back.
     Of course, I cried. I cried for my dead friends, grieving over their last moments, stuck in fear.
     "Elara, we need to go on. We have to bury them tomorrow, and find out where we are. I have a feeling of what planet we are in, but I don't know why my internal compass is saying this, because it does not exactly exist," He explained. I shook my head.
    "We are on Earth, Elara," He proclaimed.
     I got up off of the ground, which set fire to my spine. I flopped back onto the dirt.
     "Ugh...." I grumbled.
    "Elara!" Apollo yelled, before the pain spread towards my skull and blocked my vision.
     Darkness.