How to escape your imagination

Chapter 16

I am launched head first into the darkness with Simon on my mind.  

Was he really alive?  Or was it just my imagination?

I brace myself for impact, and almost immediately I land face first in a fountain.  

I stand up, my clothing drenched and shake out my t-shirt.  I am well aware that I am not fully healed, but there are bigger priorities to care of.  #1 priority, figure out what my objective is so I can get out of this world.  I look around, and it seems as though I am sitting in the middle of Brooklyn, New York.  I start playing every tv show that took place in New York.  But there's also movies.

"Ill figure it out soon enough."  I mutter under my breath.

I feel the stares of passing people as I continue to dry myself off in the fountain.

"Um, excuse me?"  A voice says out of nowhere.  I spin in every direction but I don't see anything.

"Oh wait sorry."  In front of my eyes a girl materializes.  

"How did you--"

"What?"  She says.

"You just appeared out of nowhere."

"No I didn't."  She continues.  "I was here the whole time."

"Whatever."  I say growing impatient.  "Can I help you with something?"

She nods uncertainly and walks a couple steps closer to the water fountain.  "You literally just fell out of the sky."

"No I didn't."  I reply smiling.

"Yes you did, I literally just watched you fall from the sky."

I finally look at the girl and take notice of her dominant features.  Bright red hair, almost like fire, spirals in loose curls  around her head.  Her eyes are bright green and her face is demanding.  She is wearing skin tight leather clothing with a sword at each hip.  

"What are you?"  I ask.

"You first."  She replies with a grin.

I let out a puff of air and step out of the water fountain, shivering slightly from the cold.

"I'm from Jersey." I say.

"So then you must be from the Jersey institute." She asks

I feel the confusion written on my face, but wipe it off quickly.

"Yeah I am."  I reply

"Cool, I was fairly sure you were a shadow hunter when you fell from the sky."  

"A--"

"Don't worry about it, portal travel is hard,"  She laughs.  "You must be new then?"

I give up and nod my head.

"Yeah, I'm new."

"Did you lose your stele?"

"Um, yeah I think it's in the fountain somewhere,"

"Here use mine."

I carefully take the stick like object, and just look at it.

"You're funny, let me help you this is painful to watch."

She takes the thing out of my hand and begins drawing a complex pattern into my arm.

My skin immediately begins to burn with pain as she lifts it off.

"What the hell?!"  I say turning my arms in different directions.

The area around my eyes begins to fade to black as I fall backwards into the water fountain.