Things were finally looking up for Amy. It had taken her a long time to get to this moment but she had been chosen over hundreds of candidates.

“Hi, my name’s Amy Sanderson, I’m 32 years old, and I’m a fashion designer from Atlanta.”

A depiction of herself said on the screen, right before footage of her workplace was shown on national TV. Her eyes were looking with slight grief at the images of her disaster of a workshop in her granny’s attic. “But one has to make do.” She said to no one in particular as she went back to her project. She was extremely tired, but she knew she couldn’t go to sleep tonight. There was too much at stake and too much to do before she could finish the collection.

It had taken her years, but since she was a little girl she had dreamt of the possibility of becoming a fashion designer. A renowned one, of course. She learnt how to sew when she was five and even made her doll’s dresses. Always inspired and with her head in the clouds, the woman took a leap of faith and finally decided to apply for this reality tv-show. She was also pushed by the fact of being in the red for months and knowing she was close to being evicted.

“Need to add a hem here…” She reminded herself, putting a few red pins along the edge of the garment she was working on.

Now, she was in the finals. Her dreams and illusions of joining the industry as some high-fashion designer had been eviscerated but also reignited with every comment of the judges throughout this competition. She even had been in the bottom a couple of times and almost lost to some of the other competitors, but she pulled it off and now she was here.

The final task was for her to design and create a whole collection in less than four days. While the first episode was just released, the cameras she had in her studio-provided workshop were recording at the moment as she kept on sewing, though all the crew had left already.

“I need to focus.” She said to herself again while shaking her head. She felt a little bit dizzy, but there was no time for that. Her assistants had already left too, but in the previous challenge she hadn’t been first and knew she wasn’t the favorite either. She had to stay and keep on working. If she just could pull this off and win, she not only would go home with a million dollars, but also participate in this year’s fashion-week and get to show her collection in front of the most famous and important people in the fashion industry. All she had to do was focus.

However, as the hours passed, the headache she had been feeling started to get more and more intense. It is true she hadn’t slept in days, but the self-made fashion designer was not going to give up when she was so close to meeting all of her dreams. If there was something she knew with absolute certainty she had over Hans — the other competitor — it was her drive and ability to keep on pushing herself.

“I just… need… to focus.”

She convinced herself once more as suddenly her sunken eyes started to close against her will. She tried to keep herself awake, but the headache was so strong and everything was just spinning out of nowhere. Why is everything moving? Was the question in her mind as she abruptly felt something really warm on her hands as they dyed in red. The nosebleed was unexpected, but that was just a minor thing. As long as it didn’t touch the fabric, everything was good. A quick break to the bathroom and she would be ready to go at it again.

“Huh? I don’t remember my white chiffon having a splattered red pattern.”

When she tried to get up though, her legs gave up and all that was heard in the sewing workshop was a heavy thud, the red dot in the camera indicating it was still recording.

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Amy woke up with a jolt. You know how in The Sims you know your little character is about to die when all of its bars are in the red? That’s how Amy felt at the moment. However, she realized she was no longer in the studio as her eyes were able to capture the dirt road in front of her. It was dark, cold, and even a bit damp. But, as she started to come to her senses, she noticed there was sunlight far ahead. Apparently she was in some kind of alley or something, she wasn’t sure.

The dirt in front of her was red, and as her arms tried to push her body up, she noticed the stain also on her hair and hands.

“Ruby!”

She heard a voice from afar, her eyes noticing a pair of rugged brown short boots running over in her direction.

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“Who’s this Ruby girl and what does this guy want from me? Doesn’t he know I need to finish my collection? Where are my tools?” She thought, trying to get up, but all of her body hurt so much she barely had the strength to sit up. Then, she realized something was really wrong.

Sure, maybe she lost her way towards the bathroom and clearly the red stains were because of the nose bleed she had just a few seconds ago, but why was she wearing rags? Suddenly, self-conscious, she realized how scratchy everything was, how her tunic…? covered her all the way to her ankles and she didn’t have any shoes. “When did I change?”

“Ruby! Are you okay? I told you one day you were going to get caught!”

A teenager was in front of her, verdant eyes trying to catch her own, though her mind was too preoccupied with the other realization that had just sunken in.

“It’s already day, I missed it. I don’t know what happened but I missed it. I missed it. Oh my god, I MISSED IT!” She stared wide-eyed at the sunlight falling over the dirt road far away, outside of the alley. “No, wait. I can’t give up. If I go back now I might still make it in time. I just need to make some small adjustments to the collection and, even if it’s half-done, I can go along with it.” Her brain was running a hundred miles per hour, pushing her to stand up, regardless of how she felt. She just had to push it and focus.

The guy who was with her kept talking, but helped her get up regardless as she did her best to do it as well. Amy wasn’t listening however, too focused on thinking she could still make it. The sun wasn’t at its peak yet, she could make it. She totally could.

With her mind set, she pushed the cumbersome guy aside and pushed. Her legs wanted to give again, but she forced it and started to run. Wobbly short steps followed small ones, leading to longer ones to finally end in quick strides, her arms moving next to her body as if she was running a marathon, her eyes set on the sunlight far ahead.

“I just need to get back to the studio, make a few changes and everything will be ready. It won’t be like I had planned it, but most of my pieces were almost ready. I just have to say I went for an unfinished look as it was centered on street wear. That’ll definitely do. Hopefully.” She ran with all her passion towards the sunlight, ready to check for directions and go back to her workshop.

Finally, when her bare feet touched the warm dirt and she left the alley, her world froze.

A buzzing market was in front of her, with men and women walking by like life was good and right, but she knew everything was just wrong. Tall burly men wearing what looked to be literal armor, women wearing long robes, people of all colors carrying weapons with them, and even non-humans with horns and tails selling heavy gold accessories.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” She yelled to no one in particular as a few eyes landed on her before deeming her crazy and moving on with their lives.

“Ruby!” The boy finally caught up to her and turned her around by the shoulder by force, making her stare at his eyes. “What’s wrong with you? Did they hit you on the head? Let me check you.” He asked, pushing her to his chest as the taller guy did his thing.

“No, no! I’m fine. Just, where the hell are we? Where’s the studio?” She was pushing him away while holding herself back from asking who he was. Apparently she had a blackout or was having the strangest dream in her life, but she had no time for details, better to just focus on getting back. She just needed to get back to the recording studio and be done with it. It just couldn’t be...

“What’s a ‘ztu-dyo’? Are you sure you’re okay? You look like shit. We’re by the main guilder’s market, across the bridge.”

Amy narrowed her eyes. “What city is this again?” Suspicion on her voice.

The boy replied in kind, narrowing his eyes too and tilting his head a little. “Ronzés?” He said with a questioning tone, probably wondering if she had truly lost it.

Looking back at the people moving about, she couldn’t exactly question it anymore. What was she supposed to ask? If that city is within the US? She was no traveler nor did she have the so called ‘worldly experience’ but she knew for a fact there was no city like this back where she was from. This was some other place, and although she didn’t want to believe the guy, right in front of her was a strange and unique city. A city full of people and non-humans wearing the most archaic and weird outfits she could have ever seen, almost like they had been ripped from a fantasy novel.

Her chest was quickly moving up and down. The realization of what she had in front of her slowly but surely destroying her ambitions. Amy’s chest felt tight and suddenly her legs started to really give again, though this time the boy reacted and immediately was holding her against his larger frame. Her hand went to her mouth, tears in the corner of her eyes as she couldn’t hold it anymore. “This can’t be true.”

“Come on Ruby, let’s get out of here, we don’t belong here yet.” He said, pushing her to move through the alleys again.

Amy just nodded, her eyes fixed on a puddle of water with the reflection of a girl who was not herself staring back, moving just like she did. Her mouth was still covered by her hand, completely speechless at how everything went to hell so quickly. She had been so close to realizing her dream and now she had lost it all. Now she was… she was someone else. That was the only thing she could guess for now as both of them kept on moving, getting further away from the crowd.

“So close.” She thought in pain with a tight fist against her chest.