Alejandra remained hunched over the desk. Her tears and mind had finally calmed down as the other club members finished the session and left. A knock came at the edge of the wall by the office.

“Hey, Alejandra? Do you want to talk about it?” Señora Florez asked.

Alejandra sniffed, grabbing yet another tissue to wipe her nose. “I’m… fine.” It was a lie. Everyone around her knew it was a lie. And that’s what she hated more than anything. There were so few people who could do anything about it.

Señora Florez moved into the office. “I’m going to ask out of a necessity to make sure our school is safe. Did Mr. Stower do anything to you to make you feel uncomfortable now or in the past?”

“No,” Alejandra said as quickly as she could. “No, no, but… thank you. For checking.”

Señora Florez nodded, her face grim. “School may be chaotic and crazy, but I want to make sure it’s safe for everyone. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Alejandra looked at her favorite teacher. Saw how willing she was to help. Derek appeared soon after. She gave Derek a look, and her thoughts must have been there in her face. His eyes widened as he shook his head. It was too late. She wanted to tell Señora Florez about everything.

“She should know,” Alejandra said.

He shook his head more vigorously. “It’s too dangerous.”

Señora Florez frowned, turning enough to see Derek waiting there. “What’s going on?”

“She saw him. Glimpses of him. Saw Calawit’s tent. According to the rules, she’s supposed to help.”

Derek paused, then ran his hands down his face.

Señora Florez frowned. “Do you know about the tent by my husband’s restaurant?”

Alejandra turned her focus to her. “So, you do see it?”

Señora Florez shrugged. “Sometimes. Other times not.” She looked worried. “It’s the strangest thing. Whenever I see it and then look away, it’s almost like I feel some sort of…” She gestured with her hands, but then gave up. “I forget I see it. Until I see it again. And even now, talking about it, I should be distressed that I’ve seen it multiple times and forgotten, but even now I feel some sort of thing that’s forcing me not to be worried.”

Alejandra tore her gaze away from her teacher to give Derek a pointed look. He sighed, again rubbing his face.

“Do not bring Hraktar here,” he said quietly to Alejandra.

“How else is she supposed to believe us?”

Words appeared in front of her, and Alejandra read them. It was from her side quest bar.

Check with Tyler about how to go about this.

Alejandra frowned, then pulled out her phone.

“Alejandra?” Derek asked.

“I got a side quest. Did you?”

“Um, no.” Derek looked as though he zoned out, but he was checking his bar, too.

“Well, I did. I’m calling Tyler.” She found Tyler’s number and called him.

“Now?”

“If Señora Florez is supposed to help, we’re getting the help now.”

Not doing anything wasn’t an option. She was still in school, and Akshi was still here. True, part of this was her procrastinating leaving the school because she didn’t want to see Akshi again. The panic attack in the office told her she was not ready to face him.

“Alejandra?” Tyler’s voice came through the phone.

“What is Señora Florez’s part to play in all this?” Alejandra asked.

“Um, sorry?”

“Señora Florez. I have a side quest asking to check with you about her involvement. So, what is it?”

There was silence on the other end as Señora Florez frowned, glancing between the two of them. “Are you two alright?”

Derek sighed. “Depends on what Tyler says.”

“She’s…” Tyler trailed off again.

“You remember Señora Florez, right?” Alejandra asked.

“Of course I do. Excellent math teacher. I’m just… oh.”

Alejandra glanced at Derek, then at her teacher. “What. Did you get something?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Um… hang on.” She heard some ruffling. “Alright, so here’s the thing. For some reason, Señora Florez will not see any of your characters if they show up. She does have a part to play, but she’s got to discover it on her own.”

Alejandra groaned. “That’s not good enough, Tyler. This is dangerous.”

“I know, but there’s nothing I can do.”

“My side quest says there’s something you can do, so do it. I just had the worst session of CCNC because Mr. Stower was here with his special little friend analyzing everything and I can’t pretend like nothing happened.” The words tumbled over, going faster the longer she talked.

“Alejandra?” Señora Florez asked.

She couldn’t pretend anymore. She lowered the phone. “Señora Florez, the game is real. The Shrouded Domain actually exists. We somehow opened a portal, and our characters came into the real world. Here. In Elmwood. But they’re not the only ones who did. Akshi is here, too. Torraq is… somewhere. Thousands of monsters are here on earth. We’re trying to get rid of them, but it’s been so hard.”

Señora Florez waited patiently, then blinked. “Is everything alright?”

Alejandra let out a breath, then looked at Derek, feeling sick. She focused her attention back on her teacher. “Please. Did you… hear anything I said?” Señora Florez waited, almost patiently, looking more curious than anything. “Señora, please. Akshi. Akshi is here. He’s charming Mr. Stower like a human puppet. Akshi is looking for us. For me. For my character, Hraktar.”

Señora Florez’s face seemed to almost relax. “Well, I’m happy to hear you’re feeling better. You better get back home before anyone worries about you.”

Alejandra felt the phone drop out of her hands as tears once again raced down her cheeks. Derek picked up the phone, taking her arm before leading her out of the office.

“Derek, she… she didn’t…”

“I know. I saw. Hey, Tyler. I’ll call you later,” Derek said into her phone before hanging up.

“I will see you guys later!” Senora Florez said, waving.

Alejandra resisted as Derek tried to pull her out of the door. All she could think of was if she left this room, she might run into Mr. Stower, and he would notice her tears.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Derek said.

“It’s not,” Alejandra said. “What if he’s out there? Waiting?”

Derek stopped at the doorway and placed his hands on Alejandra’s shoulders. “Hey, it’ll be alright.”

Alejandra tried to believe him. She thought her panicking was over, but the calm, cool way Señora Florez simply didn’t hear her unloading the secret had unsettled her. It was her worst fear all over again. She had reoccurring nightmares of arriving at school beaten up so badly that she could barely walk. And everyone kept going with their lives. Despite the blood pouring from her wounds and cuts, no one found it odd.

She had spilled her heart out to Señora Florez, warning her of trouble, and some sort of magical enchantment made it so she couldn’t hear.

Alejandra bolted out of the school.

“Alejandra, wait!” Derek shouted. She went the long way to avoid the main office, but it was closer to her car, anyway. She just focused on running. On getting out of here.

She was almost to her car when Derek caught up with her. “Please tell me you’re not driving home in your state.”

“In my state?” Alejandra let out a breath. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Derek said nothing, but the gentle way he looked at her made her aware of how rattled her breathing sounded. How much her hands trembled. Her gaze shifted all over the place. She had just ran out of the school. She covered her mouth with her hands as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

Derek wrapped his arms around her, and she used the moment to let the small sob she was holding back come out. He held her for maybe two minutes, but it was all she needed. A moment to collapse before figuring out how to pick herself up again. She’d done this before.

She broke from the hug, drying her tears. “Thank you.”

Derek nodded. “Yeah. I feel like this is all my fault.”

Alejandra gave him a curious look. “Your fault? Why would it be your fault?”

The look he gave was almost humorous. “I’m the one who rolled that nat one, causing Milo to blow everything up.” His humorous look dropped, and he rubbed his neck. “So… I’m sorry.”

Alejandra turned her attention to Elmwood High. She wasn’t sure what to say. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t blame you for that roll.”

Derek snorted. “Thanks.”

She dried her tears. “Thanks for helping me. I… better get back.”

He nodded, almost sadly. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Alejandra didn’t answer. She got in the car, giving a pitiful wave. She was growing to resent coming to school. There was a heaviness in her chest that did not let up until she drove into the driveway of her house. She got out, ignoring her house, and walked down the street. She waved at a few of her neighbors as she got to the empty lot at the bottom of a hill. She slid down it carefully, then found what she needed. The sandy egg was buried there, still quite warm. Whether it meant the baby was alive, she didn’t know. Would the egg be warm enough during December and January? Was she going to kill it? Why did she do something so reckless?

Her fingers brushed against its rough exterior. She thought of everything that happened today, of the panic she felt at school. Why couldn’t she feel brave? She remembered how calmly Derek talked to Mr. Stower. He faced him and Akshi like he wasn’t afraid of anything. Why was she so terrified?

Alejandra took a deep breath, then let it out again. She covered the egg in the dirt once more and headed for the hill when she saw a broken bush. It was more than broken. It looked squashed. Frowning, she walked over to see a footprint. A very large footprint. With a trembling hand, she brought out her phone and took a picture, her heart hammering. She scrambled up the hill, making the short distance to her house. Rafael was there when she opened the door, working the remote as Ezekiel and Hraktar sat on the couch.

Rafael was smiling, pressing a button on the remote. “This is going to blow your mind. This was literally the story I was thinking of when I thought of Flannigan Jones.”

A bright, almost wondrous look entered Ezekiel’s eyes. “You have Flannigan Jones here?”

“No, but this will definitely scratch that itch,” Rafael said.

Alejandra frowned, then heard the familiar opening song. She watched Indiana Jones’ back trekking through a jungle. She shot Rafael an annoyed look. He shrugged.

“So, this isn’t real, right?” Hraktar asked.

“The movie? No. It’s like a play, but with far more special effects to make it look as though it’s real. All these people are actors,” Rafael said.

Ezekiel looked completely taken as Indiana Jones and the group of characters kept walking through the jungle. Alejandra shook her head as she moved toward her room.

“I’ve got homework,” she said, her only explanation.

She set her bag down next to her bed and sat down. Berating Rafael wasn’t an option right now. She understood the deep need to not want to be a part of something dangerous. It terrified her that she wanted to do the same. Ignore it all. Forget it. But she couldn’t. And that might be the reason this entire situation hurt her so bad.

She opened her phone to see the footprint picture again and her heart hammered. She sent the picture off to Tyler with a question right under it.

Were there orcs in Torraq’s lair? If so, were they a part of Hraktar’s tribe?