The Other Side - A Jamilton Fanfiction

Chapter Twelve

I sat in a room completely unfamiliar from everything I had known and gotten used to. Despite the heaps of blankets I was piled under and the warm and well-fitting period clothing that I had managed to find in the dressers in this room, goosebumps dotted my skin. I'm not sure whether they were because I was cold or because I was afraid.

Shapes were starting to form in the darkness as my brain misconstrued the outline of simple things such as the dresser and the desk. It was beginning to seem that sleeping was an impossible thing to grasp, as it kept evading me as I lied there in the bed, tossing and turning.

I bit down on my tongue to choke back the tears that were burning my eyes and throat.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that I couldn't take it anymore, so I kicked off the blankets and swung my legs out of bed. I ripped the curtains back to see the moon hovering in the sky, casting a glow upon the land below.

"Why don't clocks exist in this damn dimension?" I hissed to myself. I closed my eyes and held my head in my hands, taking many deep breaths in a fruitless effort to calm myself down.

I want to go home. This was such a horrible idea. Why did I stay here in Perriterra? I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to—

My thoughts were interrupted by a delicate peck on the window. My head shot up to see a tiny, familiar gray bird sitting on my windowsill.

"Belletra," I mumbled, more to myself than to the bird. I slid the window pane up, not enjoying the blast of cold air that followed the bird into the room. She landed on the desk sitting against the wall and began to preen her feathers. I walked over to where she was sitting. "What are you doing here?"

The bird gave me one of her signature flat glares that somehow conveyed so much emotion despite being a bird.

"I can't read minds," I shot at her. "Or can I? Is that a thing I could do?"

The bird, being an animal that could not speak English despite magic and monsters and other fantasies, did not respond except for a single chirp.

I tried to hide my frustration by taking a deep breath. "Do you know where Thomas is?"

Belletra let out another chirp, this one seeming more positive than the previous one.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes. Can you lead me to him?"

The bird flared her gray wings and took to the sky. I followed her as she left the bedroom and flew steadily down the hall, slowly as if she was waiting for me to catch up. She led me up a flight of stairs and down another hallway.

"Do you even know where you're going?"

I'm sure she would've pecked my eyes out if she could have, just for asking that question.

Finally, Belletra stopped at a closed door and settled on my shoulder, her body warm against the thin fabric of my shirt.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of if I really wanted Thomas to see me like this. Belletra seemed to notice my pause and seemed to grow very aggravated at it, for she let out a horrid screech.

"I told you not to fly out that damned window, but did you listen to me?" came Thomas' voice from inside. "No! You didn't!"

Before the bird could scream again, I knocked on the door gently.

Thomas paused for a moment before gently saying, "come in."

I let my hand slide to the doorknob and slowly opened the door. Thomas was inside, sitting on his bed. His eyes met mine and he smiled warmly. Belletra rose to the air and joined Thomas, settling herself down on his shoulder.