WHUMP.

I hit the ground. Hard.

The wind was knocked out of my lungs. I felt like I'd just fallen thirty feet. The scent of damp earth filled my nose as I kept my eyes shut for fear of what I would see. A few tears dripped down my face. Except I soon realized it was water, not tears. Rain was pouring down heavily from the sky, pummelling the ground and everything under it. Including me.

I was lying on my back in the soil, covered in mud, petrified beyond belief, with no idea what had happened, where I was, or what was going on. I slowly but surely caught my breath, opened my eyes and sat up slightly. With my back pressed up to a tree trunk, I was in a dense forest in the pitch black of night. There were small piles of melting snow scattered everywhere. The air was bitter cold, and I was shivering violently in the freeze. I huddled against myself, trying to keep warm. Is anybody even around? I wondered. I buried my face in my hands, frustrated. My hair draped around my shoulders. Something immediately felt way off.

I jumped up and ran my hands over my scalp. My hair was completely different. Instead of my usual brown, it was platinum. The tousled waves stopped just above my waist. I grabbed fistfuls of it and gaped, trying to put together everything. I stared at my hands. Even my skin had turned paler. My brain couldn't begin to comprehend anything at all. I stood in the dark, lost in a forest, being pounded by rain, splashed with soil, terrified and terribly confused. Then, I spotted my reflection in a puddle. It was blurry, but my eyes were clearly not the same. They were a strange shade of heather... My heart leapt into my throat as I recalled where I'd seen that colour before. It was too much to grasp all at once.

"This...thing! What is this?!" I yelled, throwing the necklace onto the ground. "It must be some sort of... Of... Teleportation device! YOU did this!" I sputtered, blaming the piece of jewelry. I reluctantly picked it back up and slung it around my neck. "How am I supposed to get back now?! Take me home!" I cried, shaking the necklace. It was obviously useless.

I was so upset, I wasn't even aware of the words I was saying. More precisely, the language I was speaking. I was communicating in some sort of foreign language that I was sure didn't exist before then. I was speaking fluently as if it was English. Even my thoughts were like that. It was like English didn't exist and was replaced by something else. I was then convinced I was on another planet.

Abruptly, I heard the sound of something heavy and quick-moving. It wasn't rain. It sounded like footsteps. Someone was running. No, it was more than one person. A group of people running. Straight in my direction. Who'd be out at this time of night...? I swiftly crouched behind a wide tree. My first instinct was to hide, even if it was people who wanted to help. The footsteps got louder and louder and were accompanied by voices.

"Remember! Don't let down your guard for even a second! Enemies can strike at any time, at any angle!" called a woman. "Glaike, hold your weapon properly, please!" She was speaking in that weird language as well, but I could understand every word she was saying perfectly. I tried my best to stay hidden. I dared not breathe, let alone move. I remained completely silent.

But they were fast as hell.

"What do you think you're doing out here?"! a man yelled in my ear. He pinned me forcefully against the tree, pushing the blade of his axe onto my neck. I was sure that he was going to kill me right then and there. "Captain Lowell! I found a perpetrator!" he warned, prepared for me to attack.

I avoided his glare and bit my lip to shut myself up. Retorting was not the best idea. He didn't loosen his grip on his weapon. We remained still; I assumed because he was waiting for this 'Lowell' person to take me away. I got a chance to get a look at the young man who was preventing me from moving. He stood taller than me, muscular and clad in an interesting ensemble of leather armour. His hazel eyes stared into mine, peeking through short strands of red-brown hair dampened by the rain. Freckles peppered his cheeks and nose. Above all, the most bizarre thing was that he had pointed ears.

A young woman came running over to us. I figured this was the captain. Lean and shapely, she was also taller than me. A long, purple and brown braid brushed against her legs in the harsh wind. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked.

"I found this girl behind a tree. She's alone. She might be dangerous."

Captain Lowell looked me up and down. Some kind of consternation flashed briefly across her face. "Unlikely... But always possible. Let's get going, Thorne. Training is over."

Thorne promptly grabbed my shoulders and led me towards where the rest of the gang was. He prodded me in the back with his axe every so often. I fixed my gaze on the ground and kept walking. We stopped when we reached a group of young adults dressed in leather armour. They were all taller than average – somewhere around six feet. For once in a long time, I felt small. They all looked between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five, though it was too dark to see much of anything else, let alone their faces. My brain was still struggling to understand literally everything.

Captain Lowell put her hands on her hips. "That concludes this nightly session. Let's retreat to base."

The group, including myself, immediately followed her out of the forest. Surprisingly, it didn't take us very long to exit. I must've been on the outskirts. We trekked through shallow snow for a while before stopping. I hesitantly looked up. In front of me was an enormous, wooden building with a sloping, dome-shaped, glass roof. The base was circular and had an abundance of windows. The grass and foliage around the building were healthy and neatly trimmed. In the distance, I could see a running track, targets for archery practice and many large patches of sand, presumably for sparring or something. The tall, wooden entrance gates were intricately carved.

The captain walked up to them and knocked four times. The doors shook and swung open with the distant sound of metal on metal. I cringed and followed her into the building. We walked down a dim, brick hallway lined with flaming torches. I could see tall doors on the walls occasionally. It seemed like forever until we reached a metal door at the end of the hall.

"Good work, everyone," Captain Lowell announced, turning on her heel. "You're all excused. Thorne and I can handle the...complication on our own. Rest up. We have training at dawn."

I watched as the group scattered to what was probably their bedrooms. The hallway grew uncomfortably quiet. The captain tapped lightly on the metal door with her knuckles. I shifted my weight awkwardly as the door slid to the right, into the wall. I thought they were going to throw me in prison. Behind it was what appeared to be an interrogation room of some sort, like what you see in those police shows on TV. Except it was much simpler and less modern. The walls were stone and so was the floor. A simple desk sat in the corner. There was also a long, wooden table in the centre of the room with one chair on either side. They were completely different; one looked comfortable and was nicely upholstered, while the other was wooden and had detachable metal cuffs on its arms and legs. It was pretty obvious which chair they were going to set me down in.

"All right, let's not delay this any further," Captain Lowell stated, taking a seat. Thorne stood stiffly beside her, perching his axe across his shoulders. "Why were you out in the forest at this time of night? Are you lost?"

"I... I don't know," I stammered, fidgeting underneath the iron straps that bound my wrists, forearms, ankles and shins to the chair.

The captain leaned onto the table. Her mismatched eyes stared directly into mine – one turquoise and one purple. "Again, shall we? Why were you out in the forest?"

I grew angry. "I don't know!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

"I think you might know," she said calmly.

"I swear, I don't!" My voice became sharp and irritated.

The captain showed no expression. "What is your name?"

I sat in silence.

What is my name? What is it? Why can't I remember my name?!

I couldn't recall anything. It was like I never had a name. My eyes were glued to the floor. I forced myself to think as the pieces began to fall into place.

"What is your name?" she pressed, determined to get answers from me.

"Brielle," I answered. It was like my brain knew what my name was, but I didn't. I was myself, but a whole other person. "...My name is Brielle," I repeated.

She sighed, as if exasperated. "And where do you live, Brielle?"

"Cali... Ca..." I stuttered, the words slipping from my head like the ocean tide being washed away. "I...don't know."

"Brielle, do you know where you are?"

"No! I have no idea!" I insisted, my fists clenched.

"I think she's suffered a bit of memory loss," Thorne whispered to the captain, glancing at me with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. I was taken aback to see that under the brighter lighting, his pupils had compressed to a more almond-like shape, not unlike those of a cat.

Captain Lowell nodded. "It's possible. She's no threat to anyone." She turned back to me. "Brielle, I am Kadia Lowell, captain of the fourth company of the Rime Guard. This here is Second Lieutenant Thorne Surcliffe. You are in a world called Emiarhia. Near the capital of Nelorismel, in the province of Alselian, Winithas. Perhaps you remember one of those names."

I sat back, disoriented. My brain felt like it had short-circuited. Goosebumps formed on my arms. I nodded slowly, itching to get out of that wretched chair. Fortunately, Thorne then walked over and unlatched all of the cuffs.

"You... You don't understand, I've never been here before. Ever. I live on Earth," I explained. Hm, maybe my memory is catching up with me...

"Right... You were born on Earth as well, correct?"

"Yes."

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"And, you don't...? You..." She shook her head. "How did you travel here?"

I pondered for a moment. "With this necklace. I was at home, and I found it in a box, and I just hung it around my neck and said the word 'honesty', which is inscribed on it, and the next thing I know, I'm in a dark forest with different hair and eyes." I removed the pendant from under my shirt and showed it to Kadia. She stiffened and a glimpse of alarm flashed across her face.

"This is... Brielle, you must leave," she commanded.

"What? Why?"

"Leave us! Now! Do what you did to get here!"

"Why?!" I repeated, the feeling of fright creeping its way back into my head.

"It's not safe for you here! You must go home!" Kadia exclaimed, pounding her fist onto the table. "Leave this building, and once you're outside, GO!"

I immediately shot up and thought about how I got to this place. I held the pendant in my palm, wrapped my fingers around it tightly, then took off down the hallway. I didn't stop running until I found my way out of the complex and was far from it.

"Honesty," I whispered frantically. And just like that, for the second time, I was whisked away with a blinding light.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in my bedroom. My bedside clock read 11:33 p.m. Familiarity welcomed me back home. I rushed over to my mirror. My hair, my eyes, my skin, everything was back to normal. I sighed. I didn't get much sleep at all that night. I was kept awake by the countless questions I was dying to have answered. I decided to tell my parents about everything in the morning. Maybe they knew something about...Emiarhia.

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"Chloe, are you okay?" Mom asked. "You look like you had no sleep at all."

I yawned profusely. "I didn't."

"Was the neighbour's beagle keeping you up again? It howls all night long sometimes," Dad said.

I shook my head. "Not this time. Look, there's something...I need to talk to you guys about. Like... Right now."

Mom's expression turned anxious and upset.

Dad leaned onto the kitchen table. "Of course, sweetheart. You can always tell us anything."

I twiddled my thumbs. "Mom, you're probably going to want to sit down for this."

She obeyed, not shifting her eyes from me for even a second. My parents looked at me like I was going to tell them I did drugs or something.

"Please, don't be scared. I didn't break the law. It's just... This is going to sound insane. You're probably not going to believe me. But I need to get this off of my chest." I took a deep breath. "Last night, I...sorta...kinda...maybe... TravelledtoanotherworldwiththisweirdnecklacethatIfoundintheatticandthenIwasawholeotherpersonandthenIcameback."

"Whoa, there. Can you say that a bit slower?" Dad said.

I sighed and repeated myself, slowly and clearly. When I was finished, my parents looked at each other uneasily.

Mom bit her lip. "Hun, there's no easy way to say this." She took my hand. "Try not to freak out, okay? Your father and I... We... We know... About...Emiarhia."

At first, I laughed. "Wait. You're serious? All this time... You knew?!" I exclaimed.

Dad sighed. "We know it's a big shock to you. But please, let us explain."

I crossed my arms. "Please do!"

Mom sat up straight. "That necklace is an ancient family heirloom. You are a descendant from a long line of travellers. Travellers is a code word for people who have the ability to live separate lives, one on Earth and one in Emiarhia, or even as many as the number of worlds out there. That necklace grants one the ability to travel back and forth between the two."

I tilted my head to the side. "I don't get it. Who made this necklace?"

"Your Emiarhian ancestor from centuries ago, along with the help of two of his colleagues," Dad explained. "The three of them were immensely interested in the supernatural, particularly other dimensions. Eventually, their research all came together and they discovered Earth. They also concluded how to form a link between the two worlds, and a way to travel between them through a vessel, which was made into a necklace for convenience."

"After making the pendant, they decided to duplicate two other vessels so each of them had one," Mom said.

Dad continued, "It wasn't long before they figured out that the power of the vessels is so fragile, only one person can be wearing one at a time. Anyway, when they finally got to Earth, they discovered something much like you did: Their appearances were all more or less altered. This is normal; it happens to everyone who travels to another dimension. It's a bit like a parallel universe. You're the same person, but different."

Mom nodded and spoke again. "They had little doubt that there were other worlds out there, but they were complex and much more difficult to access than Earth. To this day, Emiarhia remains the only other one discovered."

I started to sweat. All of this was too much for me to handle. This is the kind of stuff that happens in movies. Not real life.

Dad put a hand on my shoulder. "Think of this as...exciting. Isn't it cool?"

I chuckled uncomfortably. I was a bit more at ease once I explained everything that happened to me last night.

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"...And, yeah. Then I just got back home and everything was back to normal. Like it was a dream," I concluded.

Mom leaned back in her chair. "I see. Thank you for telling us."

"Just another question, though. Why could I just...automatically speak their language? Effortlessly?" I asked.

"Yes, most Emiarhians only speak one language – Qy'shaklei. Emiarhia is a much smaller planet than Earth, with a smaller and more comfortable population. The reason that you already knew how to speak it was that, well, you were essentially a whole different person. A different version of yourself."

"Also, I assure you that nothing is going to happen. That...captain lady? The one that you can't remember her name? I'm sure she's forgotten about the whole thing. Everything will be fine," Dad said calmly.

"Yeah, speaking of that? Why can't I remember almost anything about Earth while I'm on Emiarhia and vice versa? It's really annoying."

Dad took a breath. "It's like your mother explained. Since you become a different version of yourself, your brain and memories alter as well. Over time, the more you travel back and forth between the two worlds, the more you'll remember about the other. Eventually, your two 'brains' will began to...overlap. It'll never be perfect though. But Chloe, you mustn't ever share any personal information about one dimension in the other. Keep both of your lives completely separate and divided."

"I promise, I would never. I would just be putting myself in danger," I replied.

Mom shook her head. "Well, there's no need to make promises."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You're not going to be travelling to Emiarhia for a while," she answered, snatching the necklace out of my palm.

"Wha–? Mom!" I exclaimed, startled. "That's so not fair! Dad, you're just going to let her do this?"

He nodded. "Sorry, sweetheart. We made this decision together. We want you to experience Emiarhia, definitely. It's part of your culture, your heritage. But you're only seventeen–"

"Eighteen in January! That's not that far away!" I pointed out.

Dad cleared his throat. "You're still too young. Emiarhia isn't like Earth; it's very likely for you to get...hurt there. The older you are, the better."

Mom tucked the necklace into the pocket of her jeans. "That's right. In order to keep you safe, you're going to wait until you're eighteen. At the least."

"You're seriously expecting me to just ignore all of this? I literally learned that other planets with people are out there!"

Mom pinched the bridge of her nose. "Listen to us, Chloe. We've been there. We know what it's like."

I slumped in my chair. "Why did you bother telling me about all of this, then?"

"We weren't going to tell you until next year, so you would be mature and knowledgeable. Emiarhia can be a dangerous place," Dad said. "But we had no choice. You weren't supposed to find the necklace and use it. We couldn't just leave you hanging or gaslight you into believing it didn't happen."

"The rulers of Emiarhia agreed with us as well. They instructed us to keep you oblivious and safe. But, unfortunately, we had to tell you considering the circumstances. So now, we're forced to ban you from going to Emiarhia until you're older. For your own good," Mom finished.

I frowned. "You talked to the rulers? How? Did you go there?"

"I didn't go. Your father did."

Dad shifted in his chair. "I'm actually part of the royal guard in one of the realms; I'm a lieutenant colonel. I live here though, so I don't go there very often. They have others that fill in for me, thankfully. I only work every now and then. We discussed all of this a long time ago."

"So the all-day work meetings that you go to every so often... That's where you actually go," I said blankly.

"...Yeah," Dad replied, expelling a long breath.

I crossed my arms, then threw them up in the air. "...Anything else you want to tell me?"

He smiled uneasily. "...We love you!"

I groaned. A million more questions raced in my head, dying to be answered. Okay, so maybe Emiarhia wasn't as safe as I thought it was. Hell, I almost died the first time I went there. But I couldn't help but wonder... Is this it? Is that the only reason?

Or are my parents not telling me something...?