The Portal - Pain Is The Password

Chapter Fourteen - Elephant On Fire

Audrey lets her feet dip in the lake, fish surrounding her and Lola resting on her lap. The water reflects the trees, Audrey spots a single bird take a worm and then fly off in a hurry.  The cold air nips at her skin, she doesn't mind. As long as she's thinking about how many pictures she's going to draw when she gets back.

It's been two days, at first it wasn't that bad. After she got over the initial shock. Hanging out with Lola and avoiding the food the wolves left for her. Then it got lonely, she wants to talk, it doesn't matter who to, to Fate, to Sias, to a random stranger. When she gets back she'll have someone to talk to.

Doubt. She doubts they even care that she's gone. Sias and Fate only came along for the prophecy, they've probably packed up and left already. At home spreading stories of how she abandoned them in the middle of the forest. She's convinced herself.

She's also numb, her stomach numb from the lack of food. Her heart numb from the lack of love. Her body numb from the anxiety-given thoughts swirling around inside her head. Numb, numb, numb. She isn't feeling any emotion other than want, she wants to get back, to get back home with Taylor and Theo and Tate and Kelly and her soon-to-be new baby sister. She also wants to take Lola back with her, her newly stoned heart would break if she had to leave her friend here in this world. 

She strokes the top of Lola's head and notices she's grown quite a bit. Around the size of a poodle, whereas before, she was the size of a chihuahua. Picking Lola off of her lap and holding her onto her shoulder, she removes her feet from the water. Standing on the decking with thoughtful eyes. She hasn't missed her home as much as she misses it now since she got here.

"What's happening to me, Lola?" She whispers to the wolf pup and a tear nearly slips out of her eye as her heart beats with emotion for a moment. The water wavers and she sees a female wolf walk up behind her.

Audrey doesn't turn around for a while. Staring at the wolf's reflection in the water, turning around is hard. So is putting down Lola and watching her playfully bite the wolf's tail, as they head into the den. Lola's feeding from the wolf, it's helping her. It's just Audrey feels alone every time Lola is taken.

She walks off of the decking and stands in the middle of a patch of grass. Scuffing her shoe into the dirt and staring off into the distance. Thinking about her home, it wasn't perfect with the arguing and hurt she faced but she didn't go hungry and didn't go without a bed. She has friends there and didn't go without human contact days on end. She can almost see the world she grew up in. Almost touch it, she wants her mirror.

Maybe when she finds her way back to Aitor, she can request this of Mirk. Plead to him, beg him to open the portal. So she can find her way back to the same bedroom that she left behind.

Her stomach growls again, this is the fifth time in the past hour that her stomach has made that same noise. She doesn't feel the feeling that is meant to be paired with it. Numbness is all she feels but she wants the numbness to go away.

She walks slowly to the opposite side of the lake, taking in the beautiful view. The sounds of the forest comforting her, she feels she can be lulled to sleep. The pathways cut into the forest are growing unclear. Audrey knows it isn't safe, but it sure is tempting.

So with every nerve in her body screaming no, she takes a step forward onto one of the paths. Even after the crazy week, she's had, she still craves danger and adventure.

Leaving the wolf den behind her, she tells herself that she'll be back in a moment. She begins to run. The forest quietens and pretty soon she runs out of breath. Due to this factor, she is forced to rest against a tree. Two small animals without mouths or beaks run past her, not even sparing her a glance.