Elena's P.O.V.
It felt like I was flying without moving. My body was embraced in this windy warmth, creating a tingling feeling that danced on my skin. And the light that swallowed me made it impossible to open my eyes.
The weird feeling of my body moving did a sudden halt, resulting in me face-planting. And that hard.
"Ugh. . ." I groaned, slowly prying my eyes open to find myself in a muddy grass. Sighing, I supported myself on my elbows and crawled back to my feet.
What the hell just happened?
Good question, I answered myself with a bowl of sarcasm, looking around the forest while clapping the dirt off my hands.
Is it just me, or does everything look and feel different and. . . bizarre?
I may not be a biologist or anything, but the last time I checked, there were no flowers here, and that bush wasn't there a minute ago - wait, why is that tree so small?
"What the heck?" I mumbled, turning around in circles to only see a much greener and - if you can even call it that - lively woods. It felt like I was surrounded by a better or younger version of the forest.
Something isn't right. The feeling of discomfort etched the insides of my stomach, filling me with a whirling sensation.
When I forced myself to take a step forward, the same feeling of something being out of order hit me again - and I quickly looked at my clothing that had triggered it.
I jumped back, my eyes turning into golf balls that threatened to fall out of my eye sockets as I stared at the sudden - and unwillingly - change of clothes.
It wasn't just a little switch of fabrics - no, far from it, heck, it even makes the expanding universe look small. Every single piece of clothing that I wore on my body, just a second ago, was now replaced.
Literally.
My black pants, blue and long-sleeved shirt that matched my blue raincoat had been replaced by a freaking dress.
A dress!
My cast, on the other hand, had converted into a dirty bandage that was tightly wrapped around my arm.
"Oh my God, what's happening?" Was the only thing I could utter out through the heavy confusion and painful headache that punched me.
The dress held the same color as my shirt - perhaps with a slightly darker color. To be honest, it looked like it came out of the medieval closet.
If I ever wore this to school - oh, boy, would I be famous.
Not only did the dress have a black belt around the waist, but there was a hood in a sky blue color that hung from my shoulders- wait, is that supposed to be my raincoat?
Since when did I change from pants and a shirt to a freaking dress? The question screamed in my head, echoing loudly as I scanned my body over and over again.
"Wait, where's my phone?" And not a second later, my hands frantically ran to every pocket of my clothing to find the newly bought device.
If I lose that damn thing one more time, I swear to God, I will- my thoughts were interrupted when I felt something dangling from my hips.
Pulling it out, I found a leather pouch with two laces hanging loosely around the opening.
What is this? Some kind of a purse? Seriously, what purse looks like a potato sack? It can barely contain any- my phone!
"That's not a phone," I mumbled as I pulled out a black rock.
A rock. What is this? Some modern Jesus that turns phones into stones?
To say that I was confused was an understatement, heck, not even all the psychologists in the world put together would be able to describe what I was feeling right now.
Has everything transformed itself into some medieval time or what? The ridiculous thought almost had me laughing in frustration.
What's next? Did I travel through time now?
It felt like a punch in the face when that sentence filled my head, repeating itself over and over until it became a mere whisper.
The forest, my clothes, and phone. Everything did change into some medieval-looking stuff, which could only mean one of the two things: one, I have finally lost my sanity and become crazy with a big 'Z'.
Or two, I actually traveled through time.
Yeah, I lost my mind.
I turned my head towards the tree with the huge opening. "But what if I-" I didn't even let myself finish the sentence as my feet were already walking towards the hole.
If I can't go back, then I'm screwed big time.
My fingers had barely touched the tree when the light came back, causing me to shut my eyes like closed curtains. The same feeling of flying wrapped itself around my frame like a weird blanket, but this time, the air was colder.
When the odd sensation left my body, I opened my eyes with an intense anxiety.
A breath of relief left my lips when I saw my own, normal clothes and the colorless forest. It could only mean that I was back in my own world or time or dimension - or wherever I had gone to.
And just to be on the safe side, I fished my phone out of my raincoat's pocket to find it working.
Well, at least I'm not going to live like a cavewoman.
"Wow," was the only word I could speak at the moment, especially when my lungs were filling themselves with more air than they were capable of.
My mind was swarmed with Bibles of queries, which only made me more confused than I thought I could be, heck, it's so bad that it's unhealthy. Even the effects that math has on a students' sanity can't be compared to this brain-wrecking phenomenon.
I turned my attention back to the tree and its void, beginning to question myself if it was all a dream - a really weird dream.
There's only one way to figure that out, and with that settled thought, I dragged my feet to go through the hole again.
The same procedure repeated itself; the light blinded me every time I flew in and out, I was in the younger version of the forest with a dress on, and when I returned, everything went back to normal.
I continued to run back and forth, finding each run more brain-wrecking than the other - and no matter how many times I saw and experienced this surreal occurrence, I could still not get a grip on the situation.
Was it magic? Did I lose my sanity? What if I'm dead and this is my afterlife?
The last thought had my eyes widen and my heart beat in fear, and I quickly bolted into a race back to my own time - or whatever it was.
I skimmed my body for any injuries, except my left arm with the worn-out cast on, and when there were no wounds to be found, a sigh of relief escaped my red-wine and dry lips.
Okay, I'm not dead, so that's some good news.
And with that said, I went back to the other side, not wanting to leave it just yet.
So, let me get this straight, I collected my mind, trying to not slip from the thin rope of sanity that I was barely holding onto.
The big hole in the tree is where the light comes from, which is also the reason why my clothes and cast change. If that's not weird enough, my phone turns into a rock, something that means that high-technological devices are unknown.
Did I. . . did I travel through time?
"Is this even normal?" I massaged my temples in an attempt to calm down a growing headache.
This doesn't sound crazy at all. Nope, it's all normal. You know, traveling through time and all. It's the first thing I do when I get released out of the hospital. All my Fridays are spent on time traveling to some-
OF COURSE, IT'S NOT NORMAL! I mentally shouted at myself for the stupid question.
I groaned when another migraine hit me, growing stronger for every thought that crossed my mind.
After what felt like hours of processing and letting it sink in, I let out a big breath that my lungs had held captive, and for the first time this day; I could actually breathe.
It the depth of my mind, there was too many questions swimming around, but only one surfaced for the moment being.
"What now?" I asked myself, looking at the colorful forest and its sounds of birds chirping in every direction.
A part of me told me to go home and pretend that this never happened, but the majority said otherwise.
And since I stand for democracy, I should continue this adventure to its end. Perhaps I will find answers and figure out what this place is?
After dwelling on my options for a while, I threw my hands up in the air. "You know what? Screw it!"
If I'm going to end up in the mental hospital, I could just as well explore this place before I get locked away.
Hesitantly, I walked away from my only way home - no stress, by the way - and began to climb up the hill. It was less steep than the one in my own time - something that made wonder how far I had actually traveled.
After I finally reached the top, I brushed off the dirt that covered my dress - which I still found odd to wear.
My eyes scanned the surroundings that slightly differed from the one at home, but nonetheless, I felt familiar. However, there was this one important detail that was missing.
The stupid tree root.
That damn thing is the reason why I even broke my arm in the first place. But on the other hand, it's also the reason that I discovered this time traveling thing.
Maybe it was a good thing that it made me trip and fall down the hill, leaving me with some broken bones and a possible death.
Or not.
I sighed, getting tired of my own mind. You know you're annoying when even you can't even stand yourself.
My eyes glanced between the path's directions; one going north and the other south. Before I began to go down the south-side of the brown road, I put my phone- sorry, rock on the ground where the tree root was supposed to be.
It's just in case I was to forget my way home.
Then I was off to the foreign destination, perhaps meeting the civilization again. I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen?
When I turned around to look at the surroundings behind me, I suddenly bumped into something with my back, which resulted in me losing my balance and falling flat on my butt.
"Oof!"
I'm going to die, I thought when I heard the sound of a living person.
My eyes widened in terror of the unknown person - or maybe even monster - I had bumped into.
Is it a serial killer? Or a criminal on the run? Maybe it's the king, and now he wants to behead me for treason?
Heaven's sake, I'm going to die either way, aren't I?
But when my apple-green orbs met a pair of soft brown ones, a feeling of relief washed over me.
It was a girl.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," I apologized, shaking myself out of the brief stare. "I should've watched where I was going."
Quickly, I picked up the wood she had been carrying before I, you know, made her drop them.
"No, no, it's alright," she brushed her shoulder-short blonde hair behind her ear. "I guess I should've watched where I was going, as well."
"No, it's my fault that I made you drop your- wait, why are you even carrying wood?" I looked at the freckled-faced girl, furrowing my eyebrows as there was no snow in sight. "Are you making a campfire or something?"
A smile eroded on her pink lips, "Not exactly." She pressed the wood against her body, trying to hold as much of it and in the process, dirtying her red dress. "It's for firewood back at the village-"
"Village?" I cut her off, my thoughts running loose like a wild horse.
The older girl nodded uncertainly. "Yes, a village." She tramped on her word, narrowing her eyes in a thin, puzzled line as if she was trying to figure out the right question to ask. "You're not from here, are you?"
"You could say that."
The blonde-haired girl nodded. "Well, then. I can show you the village if you want to, come on." She motioned for me to follow, glancing at me with a smile before her orbs settled on the pile of wood I was carrying. "Oh, and let me get those-"
I stepped away with a shake of my head. "No, let me help you, it's the least I could do for bumping into you."
She smiled with her teeth, showing off the white pearls that were hiding behind her pink lips.
"I'm Aria," she introduced herself.
Although she was older than me - which I assume, considering that she looked like she was in her twenties - I found myself almost looking down to meet her eyes. Either I was way taller than I thought I was (after all, I have always been a bit taller than the average height), or Aria was just short.
Probably both options.
"Elena," I introduced myself, an evident gleam on my face.
We didn't exchange any other words after that, and instead, we just walked in a half-comfortable and a half-awkward silence. However, through the thick tranquility, I was dwelling on if I should ask her all the questions that were burning in my mind.
I could always run if she accused me of sorcery.
With a mental push, I cleared my throat to catch her attention. "So, Aria," I started, trying to act as normal and natural as I could. "Do you know what day it is today?"
The blond-haired girl nodded her head. "It's Friday afternoon."
"In what year?" The question slipped out of my mouth like an ice cube between my fingertips, and when I finally registered what I had just said, I clamped my lips tightly together before I could do any more harm.
Damn, what can I say? Curiosity gets the best of me.
Aria gave me a puzzled look, almost stopping dead in her tracks. "Year?" She repeated, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Well, it's, erm. . . It's 1516, why do you ask?"
1516!? What the-
I quickly recovered from the shock, putting on a poor mask over my face as I searched my empty head for something to say.
'Because I needed to know if I really did travel through time, which is now confirmed that I did.'
Of course, I didn't tell her that. If I ever let my mind speak everything it thought, I would probably be locked up in jail rather than an asylum.
"I kinda hit my head back there-" I gestured to the direction behind us with a nod. "-And I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't out cold for a century," I chuckled nervously with my lie, trying to joke myself out of it.
When I thought that all hope was lost, especially when my voice was as firm as water, Aria replied with a nod of her head - still unsure of my explanation. Nonetheless, she didn't ask anything further.
Damn, do I need to take lying classes.
"So, Elena," she mocked me with my own words, which made the both of us smile. "Where are you from? You seem more lost than my brother when he's reading a book."
Well, maybe because I have never time traveled before?
I laughed nervously at her joke, trying to come up with another lie while I still had time. "Well, you know. . . a place."
Aria raised her eyebrow, probably bewildered over my weird statements. "What place?"
This is it. I'm going to end up in a mental hospital in a whole new century before I even got the chance to be born. Who knew that this would happen?
"Eh, just another village ten miles from here." I hastily answered, hoping that there actually was another village ten miles from here.
It was confirmed that there wasn't any village when the blond-haired girl's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Are you sure? I've never seen a-"
"Oh, did I say ten?" I quickly cut her off. "I meant to say a hundred miles."
Yeah, like I would be able to walk a hundred miles, heck, I could barely go ten miles!
"With my horse," I quickly added. "Which I lost when it threw me off it after getting scared of some animal lurking in the bushes," I rambled on. "That's how I hit my head."
It's not that bad of a lie, is it?
Whether it was the most terrible or the best cover-up story, it didn't matter, because fortunately for me, Aria half-bought it as her lips made an 'O' shape. "Oh, okay."
Our journey continued with some small talk here and there, and questions were fired both ways - which I managed to dodge with cheap lies whenever I couldn't answer it without giving me away.
Although she didn't press me with the questions I barely avoided, I could still feel the occasional and curious glances she slipped, something I don't blame her for. Heck, if I were in her shoes, there would have been more than some brief looks being thrown around.
When we finally arrived the village, I was a bit surprised to find it located in the same place where my neighborhood was. Such a coincidence.
The village, on the other hand, was awfully huge and incredibly lively - more than I could ever imagine or expect.
If you put all the neighborhoods back at home together, it still wouldn't be half as big as this place. It felt like I was in a whole different country.
"Wow," I breathed out with my jaw hanging like a wide-open window. It was an amazing and incredible sight, and it felt so surreal that I had to blink a couple of times to make sure that I wasn't dreaming.
Just imagine all the villages you've seen in fantasy or medieval movies, and you would almost have the perfect description.
There were people carrying sacks, farmers riding donkeys or horses with carriages strapped to their backs, and there were sellers everywhere - shouting and trying to catch the attention of everyone who passed by.
My ears drowned in all kind of sounds; shouts, laughter, loud talking, animal noises and so much more. The entire village was so busy and chaotic, making it so lively that you should think it was the medieval version of New York.
Not only were they all dressed up in 16th-century clothing, but children were running around and playing some sort of a tag game. However, my eyes quickly settled on those who kicked a soccer ball to each other, something that made a longing sigh fly out of my dry lips.
I miss soccer, I almost dropped the wood to play with them. What I wouldn't give to play a game now.
"Are you coming or what?" Aria's voice snapped me out of it, catching my attention with a warm smile on her lips.
This is awesome, was the only thing I could think of as I caught up to the older girl.
"Damn, I wish I had my camera right now."
After a bit of walking, we finally arrived at a little wooden house with a huge front yard. Aria suddenly dropped everything in her arms to the green grass, and I had no problem copying her actions.
The moment I let go of the large weight, I breathed out tiredly and relieved. My arms had become incredibly sore, and I could actually feel my left arm - meaning the one I broke - pounding against my skin.
Not weird Dr. Lee held an extra eye on me.
"Thank you so much, Elena," Aria said with a heavy breath leaving her lips. "You have no idea how grateful my arms and back are," she chuckled while rubbing her sore limbs.
"Yeah, no problem," I smiled, wincing at the little touch of my broken bone.
"Are you alright?" The girl tilted her head. "Oh, my goodness," her eyes traveled to my injured arm, which she had quickly taken a hold of. "Why didn't you tell me that you were hurt?"
Before I could even retreat my sore limb or reply to her question, she was already dragging me in a full speed towards the house.
"This broken arm?" I tried to shrug it off, sitting down on a wooden chair in the kitchen she had led me to. "Pfft, it's nothing, I've broken bones worse than this."
You could say that soccer and horse riding aren't exactly the safest sports on Earth.
Aria shook her head while continuing the search for something in the cabinets. "But you shouldn't have carried that wood, it can do a lot more harm than you think." She turned her body towards me to give me a stern look. "Hasn't anyone told you that you should rest a broken arm?"
Well, let's see: Dr. Lee, all the nurses, Hazel and her parents, all the patients I met at the hospital, grandma, my neighbor, heck, even they wrote it on the card with the flowers they sent.
A pregnant silence filled the air before I finally decided to answer.
"Nope," I popped the 'P', shaking my head. "No one has told me anything about resting a broken arm."
Aria gave me a suspicious look at my guilty smile.
"Anyway," I changed the topic by clearing my throat. "What are you even looking for, some mini-unicorns hiding in the cabinets? If you are, I'm pretty sure that I saw them flying into the stable not too long ago."
The older girl shook her head in a brief laugh, her blonde locks flying between her shoulders. However, before she could open her mouth to form a word, a woman in her fifties walked into the room, holding a basket of clothes on her hip.
Her warm, brown eyes looked confused at what Aria was doing, but they were quickly replaced with surprise when they traveled to me.
Not knowing what to do, I gave an awkward smile that mirrored my weak wave. I was getting paranoid that there was something on my face when she continued to stare - which could be the case since I did hug the muddy ground with my face first.
"Mom, do you know where the bandages are?" Aria's voice snapped the woman out of it, making the light of attention shed on her instead.
Taking the opportunity with none of them watching, I slowly touched my face to find a dry mud on my jaw and cheeks.
Dammit.
"They're in the first cabinet to the left." The elderly woman spoke with a soft, yet, steady tone. "Aria, why don't you introduce me to your friend over here," she looked at me with her kind eyes that matched her genuine smile.
I took that as a cue to get up from the chair, because, well, I can't come up with something else to do.
"Oh, yeah," Aria pulled her head out of the cabinets to look at us. "Mom, this is Elena, and Elena this is my mother, Clarissa." Before I could say anything, the woman wrapped me up in a big bear hug.
Me being Elena Campbell, I patted her back awkwardly because of this unprepared encounter. However, it seemed like the awkwardness didn't hit her like it punched me as she continued to cradle me.
Well, at least I know she loves hugs.
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Clarissa," I spoke after she pulled away and held me by the elbows at an arms distance.
She was grinning ear to ear. "Oh, please, just call me Clarissa, dear."
I don't think I've ever seen someone so happy to see me, well, except for Hazel when I returned from a vacation in Norway to visit my grandmother.
Despite my friend's height, that girl can jump high enough to participate in the Olympics Games and crush someone to death.
"It's about time that you got some friends, Aria." Her mother gave the girl a stern look, which was more than enough to make her daughter turn into a tomato.
"Mom," she groaned, both of them causing an amusing scene. "Could you just help me find the bandages, please?"
Her mother sighed. "If I'm embarrassing you now, I wonder how you will act when I actually put an effort to it," Clarissa said in a matter-of-fact manner, opening a single cabinet and finding the treasure. "Why do you need a bandage? Are you hurt?" She asked with the bandages in her hands, checking her daughter for injuries like all great mothers would do.
Like people who deserve children would do.
"No, mom, it's for Elena." Aria pointed at me with an almost annoyed glance. "She helped me carry the firewood with a broken arm, and I-"
Her mother gasped as if it was the most gruesome thing she had ever heard, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the wooden chair again as if I was to die at any moment.
"Why did you even let her carry anything in the first place?" She scolded her daughter while nursing my injured limb, and then looked at me with a similar gaze. "And hasn't anyone told you to rest a broken arm?"
Well, let's see: Dr. Lee, all the nurses-
"No," I shook my head.
The elderly woman - with her blonde and gray hair pulled back in a coif - shook her head in disapproval.
Clarissa unwrapped the bandage on my left arm, putting on a new one as she gave me a lecture about what I shouldn't do with a broken arm - which left me with only one thing to do; nothing.
Afterward, we fell into an amusing and lively conversation. Clarissa would often throw questions at me, which I not-so-smoothly managed to dodge by changing the subject.
And for that reason, I ended up listening to Aria's embarrassing stories, told by no other person than her own mother.
Did I feel bad for making the girl so red that tomatoes would've been jealous? Maybe.
Did I enjoy the poor girl's embarrassment? Heck yeah. They're almost as good as Hazel's.
"And when I thought that it couldn't get any worse, Aria slipped on her own-"
"Okay, I think she got the point - no need to tell the rest." The ketchup-looking girl said, her whole face blushing deeper than I could ever imagine.
"Haven't I taught you to not interrupt me when I talk?" She scolded Aria, making the girl sink into her chair as if she was trying to become one with it.
Oh, God, do I love mothers.
Well, not everyone, of course.
Before another upset thought could follow the first one, my mind was fortunately cut off. However, it was by a ball that hit my head at an incredible speed.
Was it actually worth it? I don't know, especially not when I'm seeing double of everything and everyone.
It literally came out of nowhere, knocking me out of my chair with the force of a flying comet. Both Aria and Clarissa jumped out of their seats like they had been sitting on spiders.
Well, isn't this just my luck? I thought as I found myself on the hard floor, my fingers rubbing my head in an attempt to decrease the pain.
I looked at the brown, leather ball that rolled in front of me, squinting my eyes at it while listening to the young voices outside and mumbling how they are all dead.
When I saw the angry look on Clarissa's face staring out of the open window, I agreed with them.
My condolences for your lives, kids.
"Jacob!" Aria's mother shouted from the kitchen window before she tramped towards the door in a full Godzilla-mode, her fingers holding up her green, worn-out dress. "You are in big trouble, young man!"
You are dead, young man, I wanted to tell him.
Aria helped me up, apologizing for her 'stupid' brother for kicking the ball at me. Despite the massive pain pounding in my head, making my body sway back and forth, I still insisted that I was completely fine.
I could have an ax in my head, and I would still claim that I'm fine.
"Come on, let's stop your mother from murdering someone," I spoke before another ramble of an apology could jump out of Aria's mouth. Without a second thought, we quickly made our way to the angry mother with the ball on my hip.
"How many times do I have to tell you that you cannot play in front of the house?" Clarissa scolded her twelve-year-old looking son.
The other children surrounded Jacob, standing in a silent fear - heck, it looked like they were sacrificing him.
Well, at least they can aim the ball better than Annie could ever do.
"I'm sorry," the blonde-haired boy mumbled, looking down at his shoes in guilt.
"It's not me you should apologize to," Clarissa crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head in my direction with her eyes glued on her son. "It's our guest you hit."
Each kid turned their heads toward me, their eyes settling on my sore frame. I gave them an awkward wave, feeling how their stares were waiting for me to turn into a volcano that was about to burst out and wipe off the entire mankind.
Let's show them how wrong they are.
"No, it's okay. It was only an accident, right? Unless you actually were aiming at me," I joked, glancing between Jacob and the kids behind him who stiffened their giggles. "Because in that case, you have a great aim, kiddo," I high-fived him, making a grin appear on his young, boyish features.
However, the young boy's happy lips faltered when his mother gave him another stern look, motioning him to apologize with her raised eyebrow.
"I'm sorry for hitting you, Miss, it won't happen again."
Hopefully, I silently added as the small boy looked at me with his adorable, doe-like brown eyes.
"It's okay, but I will only forgive you on one condition," I held up my index finger. "If you let me try this ball out, then everything is forgiven and forgotten, deal?"
He gave me a goofy smile with a missing tooth, nodding his head with his short, bowl-hair that flew slightly. "Deal," he shook my hand with his smaller palm, making a warm gleam display on my face.
"Step away, mortals, I will show you the power of soccer." The children giggled at my statement, whereas Aria and her mother exchanged a look of curiosity and amusement.
Entertaining and making children laugh is easy, but if you want to challenge yourself, you gotta aim higher.
When it was enough space for my little 'performance', I began to trick with the ball, juggling it with my knees and feet. The dancing feeling rushed back, flowing through my veins like water. God, did I miss this adrenaline-filled sport.
Yup, soccer practices really paid off, I thought while balancing the mushy ball on my head.
"And this, my friends," I started, letting it roll from my left shoulder to the other, "Is how you do it." The ball was now spinning on my finger like a basketball - my final trick.
Man, I need to get out on the field again.
The children burst out in cheers, surrounding me like I was David Beckham without a shirt. They were pulling on my hood and dress, shouting and pleading me to teach them my 'magic tricks'.
"How did you do that?"
"Can you teach me?"
"That was so awesome!"
I smiled at the compliments I received, glad that they found my years of soccer practices prodigious and not a waste of time.
Like they did.
"Okay, children, give the nice lady some space to breathe!" Clarissa separated me from the enthusiastic kids who were sticking to me like glue.
"Elena, how did you do that?" Aria asked wondrously, making me shrug my shoulders. "That was amazing! God, I wished Daniel was here to see it. . ." She trailed off with a tint of a blush growing on her cheeks.
"Who's Daniel?" My lips turned into a little, sly smirk, which resulted in the girl turning into a tomato again. "Aw, is he your boyfriend?"
Before Aria could stutter out a poor answer, Jacob shouted at me. "Wait!" I turned my head to see him holding the brown ball, a boyish grin painted all over his face. "Do you wanna play?"
Oh, you have no idea.
A smile appeared on my lips, and I glanced at Aria, asking for permission to go with these children.
She nodded her head in a laugh. "Yes, you can play with them if you want to."
And not a second later, I ripped the hood off me, letting it fall to the ground for effect. "Let's play."