"Noelle, are you certain about this?" Dianne asked, her voice laced with skepticism. "We can't afford another mistake, not after... what happened last time." She hesitated, her eyes clouding with memories of their past failure.
Noelle's gaze never wavered. "I'm positive, Dianne. I've done this before. It'll work." Her voice was steady, but a flicker of doubt danced in her eyes.
Dianne hesitated, then nodded. "let's do this." She steeled herself, her mind racing with the possibilities.
Noelle spread her arms, and a shimmering light coalesced before them. The air seemed to vibrate as the light transformed into a red portal. With a deep breath, they stepped into the unknown.
As they emerged on the other side, Dianne exhaled sharply. "Phew! This place is... eerie." The world around them was a twisted, gloomy version of their own. The sky was a sickly shade of yellow, and the buildings seemed to loom over them like sentinels.
Noelle's eyes scanned their surroundings, her expression grim. "We need to find this universe's Shadley. Fast." She glanced at Dianne, her gaze piercing. "We can't afford to linger."
Their footsteps echoed through the desolate streets, drawing suspicious glances from passersby. Eyes narrowed, faces pinched in fear. Dianne felt a shiver run down her spine as they walked, her senses on high alert.
It was then that she spotted the poster. Her gaze snagged on the image, and she halted, her eyes fixed on the wanted sign. Noelle stopped beside her, following her gaze. "Dianne, come on... we can't linger."
But Dianne's attention was riveted on the poster. "I think I found our solution." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Noelle's eyes widened as she read the poster. "WANTED! Adley Adams... This Shadley's a criminal?" Her brow furrowed in concern.
Dianne's smile was wry. "Looks like it. But I can track him down. I need his belonging, or... a picture will do." She reached out, her fingers brushing against the poster.
With a flourish, Dianne spread a map on a nearby table, surrounded by various witchcraft tools. She placed the poster in the center, her hands weaving intricate patterns. "Astraeos, ignis exigens... Lux lucis, revelare!"
The air seemed to hum with energy as Dianne channeled her magic. Red lines etched across the map, converging on a distant location. Dianne's eyes sparkled. "Found him!"
Noelle's eyes lit up with excitement. "Let's move, then. We don't have much time."
Adley Adams slumped in the dimly lit, crumbling building, the only sound the crackling of the fire that cast eerie shadows on the walls. The air reeked of decay and neglect, and the once-majestic structure now seemed to be held together by sheer willpower. Adley's eyes clenched as he tenderly extracted the bullet from his arm, his face contorted in agony. Blood gushed from the wound, staining his sleeve crimson.
Just as he finished, a voice pierced the silence, making him spin around, his eyes wide with alarm. "That must have hurt a lot," the voice remarked, its owner concealed in the shadows.
Adley's hand instinctively grasped an iron rod nearby, his gaze darting towards the speaker. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice laced with suspicion.
The young woman emerged from the darkness, her eyes gleaming with a knowing intensity. Adley's grip on the rod tightened, ready to strike. But before he could move, she uttered a swift incantation: "Somnus, descendio!" A soft, blue glow enveloped Adley, and his eyes fluttered closed as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Noelle approached him, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Well, that wasn't so hard." She gazed down at Adley's limp form. "Let's tie him up!" she urged, her eyes sparkling with determination.
Dianne hastened to her side, producing a length of sturdy rope from her bag. Together, they bound Adley's wrists and ankles, rendering him immobile. As they worked, the fire crackled, casting an eerie glow on the scene. The air seemed to vibrate with tension, the silence between them thick with anticipation.
"hmm... hmm" Adley groaned in pain as he regained consciousness after about 30 minutes. "Who are you to question me?" he fired angrily, vehemently shaking himself and the chair he was strapped to.
"Keep up with that and you'll only end up tiring yourself..." Noelle advised, her arms folded under her chest.
"I said, who are you?" Adley demanded, still shaking vigorously.
Dianne intervened, "I am Diane, and she's No—"
"Noelle," Noelle corrected swiftly.
Diane gave her a slight glare before continuing, "We mean no harm, Adley."
"As long as you cooperate," Noelle added, her eyes locked onto Adley's.
Adley sneered, "The one who tied me to a chair? You expect me to cooperate?"
Noelle shrugged, "We came here for an important reason, Adley. We need your help."
"How about you untie me, and then we talk?" Adley suggested, his glare still present.
Dianne cast a spell, "Liberatio!" and the ropes immediately went loose.
Adley's eyes widened in shock, "How did you do that?"
Dianne announced, "I'm a witch."
After three seconds of silence, Adley burst into laughter. Noelle and Diane gave him a confused stare, their expressions a mix of surprise and annoyance. Adley's laughter slowly faded, and he asked, "Wait... You're serious?"
Dianne affirmed, "Yes."
Adley's gaze moved to Noelle, "And what about her?"
Noelle replied, "I have the ability to create portals."
Adley's expression changed from skepticism to confusion, "Hold on... What are you girls doing here again?"
Noelle answered, "We came here to get you, Adley..."
There was a brief pause before Adley exclaimed, "Me? Why?".
Adley's eyes widened in disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend the extraordinary claims. "A parallel universe?" he repeated, his tone laced with skepticism. "You mean, like, a different dimension or something?"
Noelle nodded patiently. "Exactly. A parallel universe is a separate reality, identical in many ways, yet divergent in others. We come from a world similar to this one, but with distinct differences."
Adley's gaze darted between the two women, searching for any sign of deception. "And you're here because a friend of yours died?" he asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "How does that have to do with me?"
"You are a friend's doppelganger," Diane answered.
"Wait... You mean like a look-alike?" he asked with a checked expression.
Noelle's expression turned somber. "Yes. Our friend, Shadley, was murdered. And we need you to pretend to be him."
Noelle tried to convince him, "And that is why we need you, Adley Adams."
Adley refused bluntly, "NO!"
Noelle's expression changed to confusion, shock, and surprise. "What?" she asked.
"I said no, I'm not doing it," Adley refused with a frown.
"Why?" Noelle questioned, her voice laced with anger.
"You don't expect to come here and tell me some cock and bull story about your friend and expect me to follow you? I don't have a life of my own!" Adley fired in agitation.
Noelle scoffed, "You call stealing petty stuff and living in this wretched place while everyone wants you locked up for all this reasons a life?"
Adley seethed in fury as she spoke. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but I'd better die than live a life like this."
Noelle insulted spitefully, "If I were you, I'd grab this opportunity I have rather than sulk in this hole you call a home."
Adley retorted in an impertinent tone, "Well, sorry to disappoint you, Noelle or whatever you call yourself, but no can do."
Noelle remarked, "Coming here was such a waste of time." She turned to leave, "Dianne, are you coming?"
Dianne didn't say a word but opened a portal and walked towards it before it disappeared.
"You're not going with your friend?" Adley asked, his eyes narrowed.
Dianne gave him a silent glare but said nothing in response. Instead, she moved to Adley's side and sat on her heels. "Your arm needs tending to." She started chanting a healing spell.
"If you're doing this to convince me to go with you, then I'm sorry, cuz it's still a NO," Adley said in a low tone.
"I'm not," came the curt reply from Diane.
"Then why are you?" Adley asked with a suspicious look.
"Your arm needs tending to," came the reply from Diane.
A faint smile appeared on Adley's face, a mix of amusement and curiosity. "You don't seem to talk much," he said, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.
Diane lifted her gaze from the wound, her eyes locking onto his. "I don't," she answered simply, her voice firm but soft. She returned her attention to the wound, her hands moving with precision as she continued the healing spell.
"Why?" Adley inquired, but Diane didn't reply, staying quiet with a frown on her face.
"I only talk much around those I'm free with..." Diane replied after a moment of silence, her voice trailing off. "And the only one I was free with is gone."
The frown on Adley's face slowly faded as he asked, "Who - your friend - I look like?"
Diane answered simply, "No," before adding, "My friend Noelle looks like..." Her voice drifted off, and she gazed aside.
At this point, the wound was almost healed. Adley's curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "Wait... Did she die, and Noelle took her place?"
Diane's reply was brief, "Sort of."
She continued, "Her name was Daisy. She was the smartest and nicest thing on Earth, but her curiosity led to her early demise."
Adley's eyes widened, intrigued by Diane's words. "What happened?" he asked, his voice soft.
Diane brushed her hands over the now-healed wound. "All done," she said, standing up.
Adley stared at her, then at his fully healed wound. "How did you...?" he asked in awe.
Diane smiled faintly, her eyes not sparkling with her usual intensity. "A healing spell, tokld ya I'm a witch."
"I'm not going to force you to come with us or not. I'm only going to tell you that so many lives depend on this, Adley. This may be life presenting you a chance at redemption," Diane advised, her eyes sincere.
"But it's still your choice whether or not to accept it," Diane added, her voice soft but firm.
"You should get a better place... This whole building reeks," she said before disappearing into thin air.
A smile appeared on Adley's lips, a slow, sly curve that revealed a hint of mischief. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his eyebrows rose in amusement. "What a witch..." He remarked, his voice low and impressed.
"Dianne!" he called out her name in a whisper, as if hoping she would reappear.
"Is he coming?" Noelle questioned, her eyes hopeful and eager.
Diane's face remained expressionless. "I can't say," she replied, her voice neutral.
Noelle heaved a frustrated sigh before adding, "We've got to return... Before the school takes note of our absence." She began to open a portal, and before they could walk through it, they heard a voice say, "Leaving without me?"
Adley appeared, a smirk still plastered on his face, his eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief.