"It's a portal," Rose replied, though she doubted Luke fully grasped it. His face betrayed primal fear of the unknown. Fear was good. Fear was excellent.
Perhaps this would finally make him turn tail and abandon his unsolicited guardianship over her.
Taking advantage of his frozen state, she approached the portal, the holographic old man silently trailing behind.
As she drew nearer, her own nerves tightened. Despite her mental preparation, her fingers grew clammy with cold sweat.
Though she had lived through the apocalypse, she had only ever stumbled into one realm by accident. Being the scaredy-cat she was, she had never dared approach a second one.
But she had to change. It was the only way to alter the future.
Taking a few deep breaths, she glanced over her shoulder at the hologram. "What can you tell me about the realm on the other side of this portal?"
While it was too late to get anything else to take along, at least she could be somewhat prepared before stepping through.
"I will begin the analysis immediately, Boss." Zen's hologram drifted closer to the portal, his ethereal form flickering slightly as he extended his hand, dipping a finger into the shimmering gateway.
Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her arm.
"Rose, you can't seriously be considering entering that thing! I saw it on the news. It's dangerous—people don't come back!" Luke's grip tightened, his voice laced with urgency.
She rolled her eyes and attempted to shake him off, but to no avail. When had this little puppy grown so strong?
"Let go, Luke. I don't have time for this." Every minute wasted here meant one less to search the realm. Though she hoped not to need the full twenty-four hours, she was determined to return with something to show for it.
"No." His voice quavered, but his eyes blazed with iron determination.
"I'm not joking. Release me now," she growled, her tone a clear warning.
He shook his head, grabbing her with both hands and trying to drag her further from the portal.
As the distance between her and her goal widened, Rose snapped.
"Let go, let go, let go!" She twisted and turned, using her whole body to break free. Feeling his grip loosen slightly, she made a dash for the portal, only to be yanked back by her backpack.
She slipped her arms out of the backpack straps, grabbing them and pulling towards herself, her feet planted firmly on the ground.
Luke, caught off guard by her strength, stumbled forward.
Rose's momentum carried them both ahead, the portal's shimmering surface now mere inches away. Luke's eyes widened in panic as realization dawned.
"Rose, stop!"
With a final heave, Rose wrenched the backpack from Luke's grasp, but the force sent her stumbling backward while he was hurled towards the portal.
"Rose!" Luke's panicked cry was the last thing she heard before his body vanished into a kaleidoscope of colors, the portal's surface gently swirling.
"Damn it!" she cursed, plunging after him into the realm.
***
In the VIP lounge of an airport, two men sat quietly in a corner hovering over their smartphones. While one exuded calmness, scrolling through an app while sipping on his coffee, the other was visibly nervous. His gaze was constantly jumping between the time, the news, and the displayed flight information.
"Ethan, relax," the calm one said in a soothing tone, his hand reaching up to adjust the frames of his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. With his sharp features and meticulously styled brown hair, he exuded an air of effortless elegance. His casual business attire only accentuated the blend of leisure and sophistication he effortlessly embodied.
He couldn't bear to watch his friend spiral into worry any longer. "Your sister is going to be fine."
Ethan's head snapped up. His usually well-groomed appearance had long vanished. Having had to spend the whole night at the airport without a wink of sleep and a constant state of anxiousness had changed his look. His short blond hair was messy by him repeatedly run his hands through them, the rings under his eyes giving a panda a run for his money. The stubbles at his chin didn't help making him look remotely decent.
"And how would you know, Andrew? You know how she is. She just can't sit still—especially if I ask her to." Ethan's words shot out like a stinger.
Andrew could only shake his head. Why had he even tried? It wasn't as if he wasn't aware that his friend's one weak spot was his little sister. Say the wrong thing about her, and the otherwise calm man would immediately bristle like a threatened hedgehog.
"Didn't she promise you to wait at home for your return?" he could only try to persuade his friend. It was no use to dread over things if one hadn't the option to do anything about it anyways.
Ethan ran a hand through his disheveled hair again, his eyes darting back to the flight information display. "She did promise, but you know Rose. When she gets an idea in her head, promises don't mean much."
He glanced at his watch again, willing the minutes to tick by faster. Their flight wasn't for another hour, and the anticipation gnawed at him.
Andrew leaned back in his chair, studying his friend's tense posture. "You know, staring at the clock won't make time move any quicker."
"I know that," Ethan snapped, then immediately softened. "Sorry, I'm just... on edge."
"Understandable," Andrew nodded. "But try to relax. We'll be home soon enough. Besides," he tapped on his smartphone, "she should be safe right now. I programmed this app for you overnight to track portal appearances. At the moment, there are no warnings of any portals near your home."
"That's reassuring," Ethan murmured, though he couldn't help but continue his silent countdown.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Ethan, they were called for boarding. He rushed toward the gate, nearly shoving other passengers aside in his haste to board.
Andrew followed, shaking his head. He longed to reassure his friend with what he knew: Rose would be fine, though they wouldn't see her for months.
But he couldn't. How could Andrew possibly explain that he remembered the future?