Everything starts with the rose...

A soft breath of sound -- a tickle that slithered down the tips of her earlobes. Emi scrunched up her face, a frown apparent. Seconds later, her expression returned to one of peace. Sleep -- still had its spell over her.

That was... until a cold chill lingered beneath her. Shivering, her hand reached for her blanket, but she felt nothing -- nothing but unnatural, fine grains. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed and she clenched her teeth as a result.

What... is this...?

Her first thought muddled.

My sister can't be pranking me... right?

Displeasure lingered in her mood. She refused to open her eyes, her hands erratically searching for her warm blanket.

Where...

Where...?

Where is my stupid blanket?!

Her eyes shot open, absorbing the full view above. A dark blanket of blackness speckled with white, twinkling stars. A scoff bubbled inside of her throat.

Ridiculous.

You've got to be kidding me.

Dark and chilly all around -- no sign of her room. A breath of cold wind smothered her with a familiar, salty scent. She held her breath. Her heartbeat pounded heavily against her chest.

This... This can't be...

The peaceful ocean wave soon climbed the fine white crystal sand beneath her. Nausea slammed into her, her vision blurring. Her hands curled into tight fists, sand slipping out between her fingers. Birds above cried out their calls of the night as they flew past her.

And that -- that was the final confirmation for her.

Turning her head reluctantly towards the water, she saw a deep shade of blue shimmering across the horizon of the calm water.

How did I get here?

Her mind sobered up, a dangerously deep sense of calm wrapping around her. The light in her eyes dimmed and her lips pulled into a twisted, pained smile.

What kind of sand glows like this?

As if mocking her for her confusion, the sand continued to glow a pearly white, a little brighter than before.

Biting her bottom lip, her fingers scratched at the fine sand, her legs shaking, and her arms soaked in a heaviness she couldn't overcome. She slumped down on her side. "W-why?" Her mind ran faster than her mouth, but worst of all, her voice croaked -- dry and scratchy, so unlike before.

Her breath shuddered like butterflies flying in the air. "Urgh." A sharp pain shot through her head. Her trembling hands grabbed at her hair -- violent and unpredictable. Her vision blurred, droplets of tears trailing down her cheeks. Deep-bone exhaustion laid deep inside of her.

Even so, she willed herself to stand. Gritting her teeth, her feet planted themselves on top of the soft sand, her hands pushed off, and she finally stood up.

Unsteady with her movements, her figure looked like a marionette in a twisted play of death. Her teeth chattered loudly and her arms wrapped around herself, belatedly noticing the drenched clothes that stuck to her like glue.

"Haa..." A grimace -- it flickered away the next second. Her fingers gently wrapped around her neck.

Water... I need water.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft wind that blew against her, harsh and unrelenting. She gritted her teeth again, but this time, her fingernails dug into her skin through the thin fabric, while her leg muscles spasmed as they kicked at the sand uncontrollably -- trying hard to endure the chilly burn that seared across her skin.

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Where... Where am I?

She bit her bottom lip and wiped her eyes with her wet arm. Her gaze then sharpened into a glare as she examined her surroundings.

I can't just stand here...

From beyond the sand, she first noticed dark dirt -- packed into a stable road, but more than that, between the sand and the road, a lot of the glowing sand slathered across a marbled pathway, clearly meant for walking.

Good. There's a pathway. So there's gotta be a city or town nearby. I guess it's time to find out which one it is then.

Ignoring the aches in her body, her movement started out sluggish but ended up smooth by the time she reached the marbled pathway. "Whew." A small sigh escaped from her. After glancing at both ends of the pathway, she noted that the right side had signs of glowing light.

Well, there's my answer on where to go next...

When she got closer to the lights, her eyes immediately shook with her mouth opened slightly.

Marbled building walls, orange and white lights all lined up in the shape of clams and pearls, and a conspicuous glowing sign -- all of it consumed her vision.

But then something caught her eye that made her pause.

Something that made her breath feel stuck in her throat...

She quietly repeated the words on the sign to herself. "Welcome to... Maris Stella...?" Her whisper, ever so soft, blew with the wind, not letting anyone hear, except for herself.

Badump.

Badump. Badump.

Badump, badump, badumpbadumpbadu--

"How can this..." Displeasure flickered in her expression. Her shaking hand gripped her arm tightly, digging her fingernails again into her skin. Her gaze focused once more as the pain snapped her out of the numbness.

Before she could fully process everything, however, a loud, boyish voice cried out -- a voice that carried a soft tone within its depth. "Aemilia!" Emi flinched from the sudden noise.

Aemilia...? For a moment, I thought he said my name.

Before she could take a step further, a young, lanky boy grabbed her arm. His cinnamon-brown eyes locked with hers, flickering of emotions she could not recognize. "Aemilia, why didn't you respond when I called out to you?"

"...Huh?" She stared at him before looking down at his hand.

He sighed deeply to himself. "Aemilia, why are you out here at this time? And why are you so wet?! Did you go to the beach?!?" Bewilderment stained his soothing, firm voice. His gaze deepened as he scanned her condition. His eyebrows furrowed, his grip loosening.

I'm not... Aemilia.

A younger girl suddenly grabbed onto Emi's wet clothing. "Aemilia, what's wrong?" Her wide eyes accentuated her innocence and worry.

I'm not--

Emi suddenly stumbled forward, but the boy held her up, unexpectedly stronger than what she believed. Her hand gripped at her chest, her throat tightening uncomfortably. Her hands trembled without end. She forced herself to breathe heavily -- to regain a part of herself again.

But, the sign -- it enraptured her attention. A sharp pain shot through her head, breaking her concentration in seconds. She grabbed onto the boy, her hand tightening around his arm, to stabilize herself.

I don't... Was there ever -- a "Maris Stella"?

"Aemilia...?" His gaze trembled but he never looked away from her. Instead, he kept her stable with all of his strength, despite being shorter and younger than her.

Why... Why does he act as if he knows me so well? Why is he calling me Aemilia?

I don't even know him!

She took a deep breath, collecting the nuggets of courage that hid in the crevices of her mind.

Aemilia... Maris Stella...

She looked down at her clothing, her eyes not leaving a single detail out. Her lips soon thinned into a grimace.

I don't recognize this. When did I have this type of clothing? Did I ever own anything like this?

Her heart squeezed and her hands no longer trembled. Recognition and acceptance eventually swirled in her eyes.

Who am I kidding? Let's just admit it. This place, and potentially, maybe even this body...

Haa... I don't think I'm on Earth anymore.

But if that's the case, then who... am I? Am I really Aemilia now? But how can this--

"Aemilia, let's go in and get you cleaned up." The boy's arms gently guided her to a creamy, white building. His lips curled into a bright smile as his gaze and warmth pushed away the cold fear inside of her. Her tense shoulders lowered ever so slightly. Her cold expression -- no longer rigid and stiff.

"Yeah, yeah!" The little girl's cheeks flushed pink as she ran towards the door.

"Anne, go in first." He called out to her, her giggle carrying across.

"Jeez, brother!" She pouted and held the door open. "You know that I'm old enough to go inside after you!"

He let out a small laugh. "I know, but I need to lock the door." Realization dawned on her as she nodded and went inside first. The boy turned towards her. While his smile seemed bright, his eyes eventually couldn't hide the worry he felt for her.

"You're going to catch a cold at this rate." His mutter -- so soft as if he didn't want her to hear his words.

He then stopped right in front of the door as he continued, "I think my parents want to talk to you too. They did ask me to look for you tomorrow, but maybe, this is better..." He then opened the door and gently led her inside.

Once the door was behind them, he looked up at her hesitantly, scratching the back of his head. "Can you stand by yourself for a few seconds?"

"...Yes." Her voice cracked, no longer having the energy to say anything more. She watched him pull out the keys and insert one of them into the lock. His hand then pulled at the door to shut it first.

In between the cracks, however, she saw the glowing yellow lights, the marble white walls, and the words, Maris Stella, all over again. A gorgeous place she could never hope to see if she was back on Earth. But even so, she still wished -- no, wanted -- this to be a mere nightmare.

Click!

Her heart dropped. The moment the lock clicked, her hope -- her desire of this being a dream -- had been snuffed out, leaving behind nothingness.

And now...

She could no longer escape from her reality.