"You said we were going on a trip." Holden blinked and turned to face Melony, who was busy fiddling with a stick of gum before popping it into her mouth. He and his little companion Pepper (Who was once more strapped to his chest) raised their eyebrows in unison, expecting an explanation.
"We did go on a trip. A trip from the living room to the bathroom. Legs hurtin' yet?" She blew an abnormally large bubble considering she'd only been chewing on a single stick. Its size nearly rivaled that of Holden's head.
Melony placed a candle down on the bathroom sink. She stuck out her tongue and flicked her finger against it, causing a spark that initiated a gentle, warm glow on her nail. Using it to ignite the candle, Melony ensured the lights were turned off and faced the mirror.
Noticing Holden's puzzled gaze, she shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "What's the matter, it's just flammable saliva. Don't be jealous. This is where the real trip begins. We're gonna use the mirror like a portal. You'd better take some gum, here." She waved around a stick of gum in Holden's face, asking him to take it.
"Uh... Thanks. Wait, I'd better take it? What's it meant to do? Is it magic gum? Don't tell me it's magic gum."
"No, no, it's regular old gum. Magically delicious, maybe. Y'know how when you're on a flight and the plane takes off, your ears pop and it's annoying as all Hell? Something similar can happen with mirror travel, so it's good to have something to chew on."
Holden snatched the gum from her hand and slid it into his mouth, chewing it with disgust. The taste of the bubblegum was overbearing, and he would have much preferred something mintier. Nonetheless, he cooperated and faced the mirror alongside Melony, admittedly curious to know how they would proceed from that point.
"Now, here's what you're gonna wanna do kiddo. This is another one of those ritual things, and you'd best follow the instructions exactly. If you hesitate, if you falter, you'll be met with a fate worse than death." Her eyes and face had their color drained, turning a deathly pale as if her mind raced with thoughts most treacherous.
"A fate worse than death...? You don't seriously mean to tell me," Holden began, a brief display of concern flashing across his face.
"Mhm, that's right. If you mess up the ritual, you'll have an unimaginably horrific fate bestowed upon you," Melony responded, covering her mouth with a now trembling hand. "The ritual will fail, and there'll be a cooldown. You'll have to wait a whole ten minutes before attempting it again. Travel delays, the absolute worst of the worst."
Holden had only heard half of that speech, having tuned her out as soon as he realized she was, once again, not being serious. Instead, he focused on the gum between his teeth
"So we have to hop through a mirror to arrive at our destination, a process that could make our ears pop like hell. So what about Pepper? We can't give the dog gum, dumbass."
"Awh, you can't bear the thought of your puppy having her ears upset. What a dog mom you are!" She lowered her face in front of Pepper's and blew right into it. Within moments, Pepper's eyes closed and she drifted to sleep, unconscious.
"What did you just-"
"Anesthetic breath, ya like it kiddo?" Melony questioned him, struggling to finish her sentence given her ceaseless giggling.
"You're such a show-off, you know that," Holden grumbled.
"As if you wouldn't be if you were like me!"
Melony stretched her arms towards the mirror, allowing her fingertips to gently trace along the glass surface. Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper as if she feared breaking the freshly set-in silence.
"Now, it's time. The conditions are met as we stand here in darkness. So, I want you to place your fingers on the mirror as well, and don't worry about smudging it, I'll have you clean it up later. Repeat after me, okay kiddo?"
Holden nodded and followed her instructions, placing his hands on the mirror ahead. Melony began chanting, with Holden following her lead as requested.
"Scary Carrie...Scary Carrie... Scary Carrie..."
For a prolonged moment, there was nothing. Melony smirked and pushed Holden's shoulder gently with her own.
"Don't scream, kiddo."
"Don't scream at what?"
"That."
Looking back, two gray, monstrously large hands emerged from the mirror, gripping Holden and Melony alike by the collar of their shirts. The glass rippled like water as the two were pulled into the mirror with great force, and they found themselves soon drifting into what appeared to be outer space. Although impossible to discern the exact scope of this new plane, the feeling of insignificance set into Holden, as it inevitably does when one is presented with their own cosmic minuteness. Stars, galaxies, planets, this new dimension was ripe with beautiful celestial bodies that littered the space like paint on a canvas. These forms, as grand as they were, began to stretch thin like artistic streaks as Holden and Melony accelerated forward like they were being ripped through the fabric of space by a super-charged vacuum.
Whether what he saw was illusionary or not, Holden's face began to morph and liquify as the force he felt pushing against him magnified. He saw Melony beside him, tongue sticking out and dragging along behind her mouth like a dog sticking its head out of a car window. Pepper, however, remained fast asleep even still. Both Pepper and Melony's flesh began to alter much like Holden's, as their skin and bone were transmuted into gelatin.
As they went, the window of space they occupied began to tighten and tighten like a vortex. Whatever notion of shape or form their bodies previously had was rendered little more than a joke, a comedic hush from the past. Color's once not thought possible, now boldly stretched across Holden's vision, even though his eyes felt like they'd become disembodied from his now formless self. There was no pain involved, yet his senses did not diminish. This travel had escorted him into a place of limbo, where the imagination dictated reality, and reality dictated nothing and everything at once. Was Holden even chewing gum anymore? Was there gum to be chewed? Or was it also a mere stretch of mess within the abstraction that was his "mouth"? Whatever the case, whatever philosophical inquiry one had about the essence of gum, the vortex continued to tighten all the same, stretching even further.
Time, if this realm of weirdness or thought, or both, had simultaneously slowed to a standstill and accelerated beyond belief. Within the eternity of a jiffy, the world cracked like glass before giving way and shattering. There was a brilliant white light, and then a hateful darkness, and then there was nothing at all. Out they flopped into a room with blue walls and smooth, wooden floorboards. Before them was a desk, and behind that desk was a woman. Three things occupied her station, those being a house phone, a computer, and a small handheld mirror. She was an average-sized lady who appeared to be in her mid-twenties much like Melony. Medium-length black hair flowed down her head. Her face was rather pale, and she appeared bored, really. Her droopy brown eyes lazily glanced up at the party, who were now standing upright. While Holden fought off his grogginess and prodded around for the now missing gum with his tongue, Melony leaned over the desk and addressed the woman in front of her.
"Top of the morning to you, Carrie. Long time no see!"
Carrie groaned and looked away towards her computer, clicking away at the keyboard with disinterest.
"Welcome back, Melony. I was wondering when my peace and quiet would end."
"There you go, being a joker as usual. You know you missed me, don't lie. Say, can I get your input on something?" Melony chuckled and lifted her shirt, pointing at her stomach. A silver piercing in the shape of a star hovered around her belly button. She gave it a light tap. "You think this fits me well? Yes, no, maybe so? I was super hesitant to get it, debated about it for like, all of five minutes. Real tough choice, y'know?"
Carrie huffed and took her attention off the computer for a moment, analyzing Melony with a piercing glare, and shook her head. "It looks hideous... good grief, you could've at least had the sensibilities to get a moon design instead."
With the snap of her finger, the piercing warped to fit Carrie's description, displaying a crescent moon in place of the star. Carrie grumbled and went back to typing away on her PC.
"Fine, that's better. You want a trophy or something? Now who's the kid?"
Holden stepped forward clumsily and stuck his hand out. "Holden Cauthwell, I'm... uh... with her-" He pointed in the opposite direction of Melony before correcting himself. Carrie's vision wandered towards Melony, eyes narrowing. She didn't bother shaking Holden's hand.
"Was this his first time being dragged through?"
"Yup! But don't worry, I gave him gum. He's cool."
"And the dog?"
"She'll be out for a few more hours."
"Anesthetic Breath?"
"Performed by yours truly."
Holden leaned against the nearby wall to balance himself. He looked out the window and, much to his amazement, saw miles upon miles of water. An ocean of purple extended as far as the eye could see. To his observation, the structure they were in now sat upon a large gray slab of rock. Birds, or so they appeared, flew around in the sky. Upon closer inspection, he realized that they were not like any bird he'd ever seen. They flapped around with short tree branches for wings, and their bodies were more fish-like than anything else.
"Alright, as long as the kid's with you I guess," Carrie spoke up, "I've dragged you all through over to this side, I expect that I can go back to doing nothing. The phone never rings anyway, is it even connected to anything? Well, either way, those two have been waiting for your return, Melony. Go say hello to them, or do you want me to also be a babysitter on top of being your transportation and secretary?"
Melony nudged Carrie's shoulder gently before backing away, shrugging her shoulders. "You offerin?"
"No. I'm not."
"You'd make a good one, though! You're so energetic and joyful, deep down. I see it in your eyes, you little softie."
Carrie wasn't even given time to respond, because the sound of footsteps approached with great speed. In an instant, a girl had run into the room and wrapped her arms around Melony, nearly tackling her to the ground. Melony smiled and embraced her.
"Natty! You gotta relax, my feeble heart can't handle all this love and affection." She gently rubbed the girl's head, holding her closely.
The girl released her after a few moments. Holden eyed her carefully, taking in her features. She looked to be about Holden's age. Though short in stature, standing at about five feet, three inches tall, she was clearly of healthy body. The left half of her face was like that of a typical human's, aside from her ear which sprouted small strands of grass. She possessed gentle green eyes and, strangely enough, light green hair across her entire scalp. On the right half, however, was a strange amalgamation of algae, mushrooms, and flowers. This trend branched down to her right arm as well, which held the consistency of wood. If she had a mouth, it was covered almost holistically by the plant-like substance spread across half her face. As she looked at Melony with her singular visible eye, the flowers and mushrooms on her face slowly blossomed and attained more vibrant colors.
"Who's he?" A new voice emerged from the background. A man stood near the doorway the girl entered from. He was slightly taller than Holden, and a couple years older than him too. A large, diagonal scar ran across the bridge of his nose down to his right cheek. He was massive in build, like he'd never taken a day off from conditioning his body. His blond hair was cut short, and his arms folded while he observed Holden with watchful eyes.
"Jackson, Natty, this is Holden. He's freshly awakened, and exceptionally dangerous. Even I was hard pressed to handle his moody nature." Melony also displayed her statement in sign language, and Natty nodded her head in understanding.
Holden rubbed his eyes and shot Melony a dirty look. Jackson maintained his observing stature, providing a "hmph" from his lips as he gave his attention to the newcomer. Meanwhile, Natty tilted her head and gently waved her hand. Although the flowers on her head lost a little bit of their vitality, they still remained colorful and alive, curious about Holden's presence. She approached him and offered her human hand, which Holden took and shook. Her flowers stirred and brightened slightly in response.
"Uh, nice to meet you both... wait." Holden reached for his phone and typed his message out on the notes app. He showed the screen to Natty, who proceeded to gesture for his phone. Giving it to her, she typed hastily before returning it to him.
"Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you, Holden. Thank you for showing kindness, you seem very nice. I appreciate your efforts. And please note, I am quite skilled at reading lips, so do keep that in mind!"
"Got it, thank you. Uh, Natty right?"
"You can call her Natasha." Jackson spoke in a low, gruff tone in the background. Natty tapped Holden's shoulder, signing to him once she got his attention.
"She said you can call her whatever you're comfy with, kiddo," said Melony.
"And you can call me after my break. I need a nap." Carrie leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. She was out within seconds.
With a harsh grunt, Jackson walked forward and stood beside Natty.
"So Melony brought another stray pet back home. Great. You're freshly awakened, huh? Spent all your life being normal, and now you're here. Late bloomers like you are only good for getting in my way, or getting themselves killed. I'm not sure what Melony told you, but here's some advice, rookie. Deny her offer. Turn around, walk away. People like you aren't meant to be here, living this sort of life."
Holden clenched his fist, getting right in Jackson's face and he practically spat back his reply.
"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? You got a problem, guy? I'll do what I damn well please. So what's the issue, you want to take this outside? Want me to punch your jaw out?"
The two stood their ground, hands balled into fists and ready to strike at any moment. Without warning, Melony draped her arm around both their shoulders.
"Kids, kids, stop the fighting! That's no way for teammates to treat each other, now is it?"
"Miss Melony, with all due respect-" Jackson started before being quickly cut off.
"I'm aware how you feel, Jackson. I'll make it up to you sometime. But Holden here, he's got a gift. Much like you do. And you and Natty are prime candidates to help him explore his gift, maybe even better than I can. Ya dig?"
For a while, Jackson remained silent. He opened his mouth to protest, but knew that nothing he'd say would be of use. He simply crossed his arms again and tapped his foot in annoyance, begrudgingly accepting what Melony said.
"Fine, but I won't like it. When this guy gets torn to shreds, don't blame me. It isn't my fault you drag weak scum back here and expect things to go well." Jackson turned and walked out the door, stepping outside onto the rocky ground. Natty gave Holden a reassuring pat on his shoulder, giving him a look that clearly read "I'm sorry about him" before going to check up on Jackson.
"What an asshole," Holden murmured.
"I never said it'd be easy, kiddo. But you knew that, didn't you? You'll get along fine, just give it time. Alright?"
"Sure, I guess we'll see. Don't expect me to hold my tongue, though. I don't just stand there and take shit."
"Sure ya don't. Just have a little patience, try not to get into a bunch of fights. Cleaning blood off the floor is annoying."
"That's your biggest concern? Why am I even surprised."
"Because you're a dummy."