As I fall, time stretches—slow and heavy, like syrup.
The wind roars past my ears, yet my thoughts are strangely calm.
Didn't the bats want me? Then why aren't they saving me?
Is this how I go back to my world… or is this simply the end?
What about Talon?
Who will save him?
I did everything I could. I really did. I tried—and still, I failed.
I don't want to give up on him, but there's nothing left for me to do.
So what was the point of bringing me here at all?
I could've died back home. I could've died training for a triathlon. Why drag me into another world just to drop me from the sky?
My life used to be simple—work, home, training. And when I craved excitement, I chose it on my terms. The rush of pushing past my limits, the high of surviving something hard—that was my thrill.
This?
This isn't what I meant when I said I didn't want a boring life.
I loved my job. Being a librarian surprised everyone, but I loved it. Books. Stories. People. Community. Helping quietly, meaningfully. Somewhere back home, they might be looking for me now—the girl who vanished while running laps on an abandoned track.
My family must be devastated.
At least I don't have a boyfriend mourning me, unable to move on. My exes? Maybe. Probably not.
Then their faces flash through my mind—
Gideon.
Theo.
Rocco.
Pietri.
Aron.
Talon.
Will they remember me? Even for the short time they knew me?
Wait.
Why am I thinking like this?
I'm going home.
This is it.
And when I do, all this suffering will finally be over.
This world challenged everything I believed in—my values, my strength, my sense of self. And I think… I did okay. I mattered. I changed things, even if just a little.
But did I miss something?
A moment. A choice.
Was it in Juno's forest?
When Gideon saved me?
When I first arrived?
Why me?
Why here?
Why make it so hard?
If I'm dying, at least let me understand why.
Then—
I feel it.
Someone else is falling with me.
I turn my head, and the world tilts into something unreal.
There's another me.
She's falling beside me, perfectly calm. No fear in her eyes. No hesitation. Her gaze is sharp, knowing. Her presence radiates certainty—like she knows exactly who she is and what she's capable of.
Is she me?
Another version?
A doppelgänger?
A parallel self?
She looks back at me.
I can't take it anymore.
"Who are you?" I shout.
Her lips move, but I hear nothing.
Panic hits me all at once—my chest tightens, my lungs burn, my heart thrashes wildly. I feel like I'm drowning in air.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
Brace.
Impact—
I gasp and bolt upright.
I'm on the track.
Cold sweat drenches me. The lights flicker above, humming softly. It's night.
I scramble to my feet—then freeze.
I see myself.
Running.
Jenna is there. My friends. Laughing, packing up, saying it's time to leave.
Is this before everything?
Am I dead?
No—please. Let me stay here. Let me go back.
"Go!" I scream. "Sienna, go! Leave with them!"
I sob, helpless, watching myself hesitate.
Listen.
The word echoes.
I spin around. No one's there.
Listen.
That voice again.
"Listen to what?" I snap. "Who are you? Show yourself!"
The world blurs—then shifts.
I'm in the library.
I remember this day.
A tarot reader, joking, playful, telling me my fate for fun.
You're meant for greater things. Not from this world.
Your spirit will guide you.
Stay true to your heart. Don't be easily swayed.
Your fate is in your hands.
I laughed then.
But the words stayed with me.
I press my hand to my chest and close my eyes.
Trust yourself.
Trust your instincts.
"Are you listening now?"
I open my eyes.
She's standing in front of me.
Me—but not.
She bears the marks I earned in the beast world. She moves like she's floating, smiling softly. There's something seductive about her—playful, radiant, generous beyond measure.
She steps closer and places her hands on my shoulders.
The sensation floods me.
Warmth.
Joy.
An overwhelming, impossible happiness.
Love spills through me—so much that it feels like I could love everyone and still have more to give. It was pure, crystalline euphoria. Bliss so intense it was agonizing.
My knees buckle.
I collapse to the floor, gasping.
I didn't know feeling good could be this painful. It was excessive. It was too much for a human heart to hold.
"Stop," I cry. "I don't want this. I don't want it!"
I shove her hands away.
She kneels in front of me, face inches from mine.
It's like staring into a mirror—one that knows everything I am.
"Too bad," she says gently.
"The purpose of your existence… is to carry that feeling forever."
She smiles. As I looked at her lost.