Lost in Worlds

'Orange-striped and puppy-dog eyes'

"You have a choice, Avery, you can either give up and turn yourself in or face the wrath of your friend being murdered." The queen held a sharp, shiny blade towards Mila's neck and waited in anticipation.

"You may have tenacity and fortitude but do you, Avery Rosella, have the sharpness to choose between yourself and another," the queen said eyeing Avery tensely as if expecting her to fight her way out.

"No reply? Oh well, say goodbye to your friend." Avery couldn't breathe properly, she was about to see her friend decapitated and it was all her fault.

Blood began trickling down Mila's neck as Avery's eyes brimmed with tears. She quickly blinked them back and swallowed what she knew was a tsunami of devastation.

Mila's body dropped lifelessly to the battleground and Avery had to look away for fear of showing everything on her torn face through her broken heart.

The battle raging around her was extreme. Dead bodies were piling up around her, and the smell of burned flesh seeped into her nose. The sound of screeching pain filled her mind as she watched everyone she cared about sit on the bench between life and death.

Something caught Avery's eyes as the queen pulled her by the collar and stuffed her into a wooden, moving box. Through a small slit in the eastern wall of the box, Avery saw the sad, beautiful eyes of Connor face her and roll back into his head.

Avery screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed until her voice was hoarse, and her throat was scratchy. Even then, she continued screaming. Her physical pain compared nothing to her emotional agony.

A sudden jolt had her stop screeching as she looked around. A dim light was shining in her lack of vision and she could have sworn she heard Clyde's strong voice shouting her name.

Immediately Avery sprung up, but instead of hitting her head on the low ceilings of the box, her head began swaying as her vision filled with black spots.

"Avery," said a familiar voice, "it was a dream. Just a dream."

"Connor?" Avery's shaky voice questioned hesitantly. She was still wrapped up in the thoughts of her nightmare.

"Avery, you were screaming," Connor said, "Mils couldn't calm you down, so she came to the rest of us, shouting for help. We're all here for you."

She glanced around the room and saw the concerned but sympathetic faces of her friends staring down at her. Avery put her aching head back onto her pillow. Her soft, cushiony pillow.

"How...long...was...I...out...for?" Avery said, albeit slowly.

"You were screaming for several minutes, it was spectacular really, quite the crescendo," said Sam trying to lighten the mood with his badly timed wit.

The rest of the group, including Avery, turned their heads to glare at his comedic comment and Sam raised his hands in silent defeat. He mumbled something like, just doing what I can before Avery said something that caused the group to stare at her in surprise.

"I don't want your pity."

"Avery," said Will, "look, we didn't realise you were uncomfortable sleeping until now but that isn't the reason we're here." The moment Will finished his sentence, Avery sprung up from her pillow, messy bed-hair and all.

"What? Why are you here then?" She questioned, the desperate look on her face masking her desire of hiding her rising curiosity.

"Look, long-story-short, we want to go home. Back to Earth."

Avery nodded her head as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and slouched down, her head hanging low. "I don't consider that my home, however, I'm happy to tag along for the ride. When do we leave?"