4

With steady steps, the woman and the girl marched on. The bunker was long out of sight by now. Neither of the two women knew in which direction they needed to walk from a logical standpoint. However, the wounds aptly named “invitation mark” festering through their hand and arm in a sickly green colour flared up in pain every time they turned into a certain direction. Presumably this was where their entry and exit point had to be. Apparently the invitation marks not only served as a way of entry and, hopefully, exit, but also as a macabre organic compass.

To Dora’s relief, Harriet had agreed to at least wrap a fur blanket around her body, both to ward off the cold to some degree and to hide her naked skin. Dora wore two pelts on top of her clothes. Her shirt and jeans had become sullen with dust and dirt after staying in the bunker for six days. After the young girl took a whiff of herself she had to fight back her choking reflex. While they were still in the bunker, the stuffy air and mixed smells from the food and fur warded the odour off, but now they had become more evident. Dora felt both ashamed and disgusted for herself and she would gladly give a horse for a hot bath. Harriet herself didn't stink in the conventional sense, but a strong chemical scent emanated from her which was peculiar. It wasn't too unpleasant though.

With the additional ballast of the fur stacked on top of her, the teenage girl was slowed down, but as long as the blizzard would not return the additional warmth was a welcome addition.

The wind whistled gently and turned Dora’s face numb with its knife-like bites. The white sun hung just above the horizon, but failed to provide warmth, instead bathing the white hellscape in a blinding monotonous light. Occasionally, Dora’s and Harriet's eyes were allowed rest when Mother Nature took pity on them and the monotony was broken up by frozen rivers and lakes, coniferous trees which appeared to have been petrified by the cold and were no longer alive as was evident by the pale white colour of their trunks and needles, and finally, by the glittering snow that was reminiscent of a wide ocean in the middle of summer. Seeing her older companion’s subtle smile, the schoolgirl could tell that she had the exact same thought about summer and in turn the hope of returning home was slightly bolstered. Warmth spread through her chest. After having walked diligently and without a single word of complaint, Dora finally decided to break the silence, speaking with minimal movements of her mouth to avoid the cold wind getting in.

“What is the first thing you'll do when we're back home?”

Harriet placed her hands behind her head and after a while she turned to her companion and answered in a calm voice. Most likely she had the same idea of conserving her energy and keeping the cold away from her orifices.

“I want to pig out. And sleep. A long rest.”

Dora nodded and tried to smile. Her lips felt brittle and moving her mouth hurt as if her blood vessels threatened to burst.

“Me too. And a hot shower.” The anticipation of coming back home made her forget the traumatic experiences of the past days such as the assault from the disembodied squirrel head or the death threat uttered by Harriet: “If you tell anyone about my powers, you're dead meat!” While those weren't the exact words, that's how Dora would have conveyed them. As was typical for a girl her age, Dora began feeling impatient again. She browsed for possible shortcuts in her mind and remembered that one time Harriet had practically stuck Dora in her top hat and propelled her a long distance. Why not do that again to save time? There had also been something else, but it was so painful and unpleasant that Dora forced herself not to think about it. It was of course the set of wooden boxes that twisted both Dora and Harriet in every discretion and caused them to swap places. The young girl felt curious again and found the courage and opportunity to pry again and ask more about the lunch lady's slash magician’s abilities.

“Why not use them more often?”

“Use what?”

They conversed while walking. Hearing a human voice turned out to be a simple albeit surprisingly effective way to keep morale up. It only occurred now to Dora to wonder how Harriet remained sane after three whole months of being alone. Did she have an improvised companion in the form of a basketball that she named and talked to? And what was the reason for why she couldn't have just left? Did it take more than one person to escape?

“Your powers. You know, like your Uno reverse card.” Dora remembered how the giant squirrel - Ratatosk- assaulted Harriet and severed her arm. At the same moment she had drawn a card, exclaimed “ABR!” in a deep demonic voice and caused Ratatosk’s head to go flying which then later went on to assault Dora when she got impatient and decided to try and leave the bunker prematurely with the fierce snow storm still going. It was like a reflection of the damage done to herself, sent back as a nasty surprise to the oversized rodent. If Harriet could just spam that ability she would be unstoppable, granted she found ways to minimise the damage done to her.

After the whole spectacle which astonished Dora, Harriet seemingly has reattached her severed arm by holding it against her shoulder and swinging her dark cape. The naive teenager imagined that surgeons all over the world would instantly break their Hippocratic oath and kill to have this ability.

Harriet laughed.

“Uno reverse card? Now that’s a new one.”

Dora grinned because she felt like she had found a funny name for something Harriet probably had just left unnamed until now. The latter came to an abrupt stop and the former followed suit.

“Harriet? What is it?”

The olH̵e̸l̶l̷o̷ ̴t̷h̸e̴r̵e̸!der lady’s hand twitched. What was that? For a split second Dora thought she heard a voice. It seemed to come from Harriet's direction specifically, but it wasn't hers. D̸o̷ ̸y̶o̴u̶ ̷h̶e̸a̶r̸ ̷t̶h̵e̶ ̸v̸o̶i̸c̸e̷s̷ ̴t̷o̸o̷ra doubted her senses and began wondering if she lacked sleep or had gone mad from seeing too much snow. There it was again! Looking left and right quickly, Dora turned in place.

“Did you say something?!”

Anxiety gripped her and the desire to go home and have everything return to normal grew.

Harriet raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

“Seems like now would be a good time for a breather.”

Harriet sat down on a nearby rock after wiping away the snow with her sleeve. Dora sat opposite of her and felt a bit insulted by Harriet's implication that she must be hearing voices due to being tired. She could've sworn she heard something! Or maybe she really was just tired?

“Are you alright now, Harriet?”

The schoolgirl frowned. The older woman was growing attached to her, despite her intimidating abilities. It must have been due to the bond one forms during dangerous situations, she thought.

Ignoring the question, Harriet stretched out her arm and produced her deck of cards on her palm by clapping her hand once.

“You have been awfully curious about my powers.” She sighed. “Perhaps understanding them better will help us in our escape, so I decided to illuminate them.”

Dora’s face contorted into an excited smile by itself which caused the skin on her lips to crack from the cold and cause them to bleed. However, she didn't notice it because on one hand the wound froze shut moments later and on the other hand she was eager to learn more.

“However”, Harriet raised her voice and two fingers. “There's two things you need to know. First, I am not explaining any of my tricks to you. I will only show you the concept so you can comprehend it better. If you ever learned any of my tricks, I would be forced to kill you.”

There it was again! A threat, uttered in complete nonchalance. Dora pouted and felt compelled to be more cautious again. It pissed her off that she was treated like some housefly that could be smacked without moral repercussions or like some dumb child who couldn't keep their mouth shut about important things. Dora felt too tired to fight about it now, though, therefore she decided to just let Harriet's threat pass, at least until they were back in their old world. Something deep inside her screamed at Dora to learn more about Harriet which was another reason why she didn't lash out and the white haired woman. Getting pissed off now could ruin the chance to learn more. As she didn't understand herself anymore, she felt uneasy. What was happening to her in this place? Harriet cleared her throat and continued.

“Second, I won't fully vocalise ABR - meaning, I will only use a fraction of its strength so as to not endanger either of us.”

The white haired woman then glared sharply at Dora which caused her to inch back on her rock in fear.

“Did you understand what I just said?” She spoke with a raised voice. Dora felt like back in the classroom for a moment.

“Y-yes! I understand!”

Harriet nodded in agreement.

“Good. Then we shall proceed.”

After a few moments, she called out.

“ABR.” As promised, these strange letters came out in Harriet's normal voice rather than the deep, demonic sound which is what she must have meant when she announced to not fully vocalise it. As a result, Harriet also gave off a less powerful air which calmed Dora down compared to Harriet's prior uses of her powers.

“Shuffle.”

The cards moved rapidly by themselves, too quickly to distinguish the cards as they passed while the deck shuffled itself.

“Pay close attention now, please.”

The cards stopped.

“ABR. Reshuffle!”

That word sparked a memory. Back then, when Harriet faced Ratatosk, she had summoned her deck with the word “deck.” Then she kept shouting “reshuffle”, which, as the name suggests, kept shuffling the deck.

As Harriet laid her hand on the deck, sparks began to flutter. Harriet pulled her hand away, however, the sparks followed like living beings and combusted close to her glove which then caught fire. Dora recoiled as she was startled, so she raised her arms in front of her face to protect herself. The explosion wasn't powerful, but it was still noisy like firecrackers which is what caught Dora off guard.

“This is what happens when you try to reshuffle the deck to get a different result, but lack the energy to provide the one giving you powers. In my case it's ABR.” The woman shook her hand until the fire on her glove went out. A thin trail of white smoke rose into the air and dissipated. A not too unpleasant smell of leather rose to Dora’s nose which reminded her of bacon and made her mouth water.

“As you can see, I have to accept the results of my draw. Now watch.” Harriet turned the card to look at it and exclaimed.

“ABR, draw.” A card from the top of the deck slipped between her middle and index finger. The air began to crack. Icy flakes spread over Harriet's glove and remained for at least a couple of minutes before melting again.

Dora narrowed her eyes.

“Wait, so you can't pick what cards you get? Well, unless you have the energy for it.”

“That's right.”

“And wait, what even is energy?”

Harriet chuckled.

“Energy is no different from the vigour you get from good sleep, a healthy diet and so forth. The only difference is that much more fits inside me.”

Dora thought about this. Then, a shocking revelation hit her. Dora gasped. If that was true and energy really was no different than stamina or vigour, then Harriet had been draining her body all this time, especially back when Harriet saved her from that giant rat. It must also have meant that she conserved her energy with strict discipline until she would finally meet someone unfortunate enough to land in this world. Was Harriet really relying on Dora this much that she would willingly drain her own biological battery in a few seconds? Wasn't that dangerous? Dora's thoughts raced and she was starting to feel guilty. She didn't believe she was worth wasting effort on her, especially not if it was an adult with superpowers.

She looked at Harriet's charred glove that had traces of ice on it. The deal with those otherworldly abilities seemed complicated - and dangerous. Dora's respect for Harriet grew, seeing as how old the woman got despite how dangerous her life was. Dora doubted she herself would even go one day without blowing herself up and becoming mincemeat, while Harriet on the other hand went all her life with - wait. The younger girl only just now realised that she didn't even know when or how Harriet got those powers. She shuffled her feet around on the ground in impatience as she wanted to know more, but realised that those were questions she couldn't ask Harriet just yet. There was no way she trusted Dora enough to just spill her backstory like that.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“And not all of the draws have results that are positive?”

Harriet sat with her hands clasped tightly, staring into the distance. Snowflakes covering her face, she mouthed a word with two syllables in silence. Then, she stood up and kneeled down in front of Dora. White steam graced her face as she placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder and spoke with a soft, yet slightly shaky voice.

“To some crea- no, beings, there are… there are no such concepts as good or evil. No positive or negative. To them, you and I… we, are like ants, both in size and grandeur. It is not up to the ant to understand a…. mountain looming above it. Does the little ant even know that it's there? And if so, does it ever wonder for how long it has existed? Whether it could ever… climb that mountain, sur- surpass it even?” Harriet laughed in disbelief. “No. Not even I know what most of these cards do, Dora.” Tears flowed out of Harriet's eyes and Dora wasn't sure if the poor woman was even aware of it herself. For the first time after having met her, Dora felt like Harriet showed her weakness and forced her own tears back. After sniffing once, she clutched her deck of cards firmly and muttered with a hoarse voice. “Ezster, I am sorry. I- I-”

She closed her eyes. After a few moments of silence she proclaimed with a firm voice.

“They… They view the world for what it actually is.”

“What is it?” Wait what? Why did Harriet suddenly get so sentimental and so touchy feely? Was it a past memory that brought up an old piece of trauma? It surely had to do with Ezster. Back in the bunker, Harriet had mentioned this name once before when Dora swatted away a jar of peaches in a childish fit which she was now deeply embarrassed about. Although Dora was ignorant of Ezster’s identity, she understood that she was someone dear to Harriet and that the most sensible thing was not to pressure her further.

Harriet lowered her gaze. Dora tried to follow Harriet's eyes. They seemed tired. And sad. Due to the tears, light shimmered wildly in them like wisps chasing each other. Memories must have been racing through Harriet's head. Dora wondered what they were, but also felt helpless as she didn't know the right words or actions to comfort the older woman. Seeing an adult this distraught in the first place made her feel awkward. Perhaps adults were no different than teenagers, they seemed to struggle just as much and were just as clueless.

“Please just live a fulf-”

Sounds of galloping reverberated.

Failing to finish her sentence, Harriet immediately raised her head and slammed the palm of her hand into Dora's body.

“Watch out!”

Dora felt a powerful force against her shoulder forcing her back. Her heart began to race. Her breathing accelerated. The sudden movement made her dizzy, it disoriented her. The young girl’s vision blurred. She forced her eyes to focus, her mind to keep up.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. As the fifteen year old girl was flying backwards, she saw Harriet brace. Anchoring her feet firmly onto the ground and raising both her arms in anticipation as a shadow approaching from above grew larger and larger at Harriet's feet. Something massive landed on top of her with a loud crash. Snow dust stirred up, making everything imperceivable. The shocked schoolgirl landed onto the snow and rolled across the ground. Her whole body ached and her mind groaned. Feeling like a doll someone tossed, she came to a stop. The adrenaline pumping through her veins, Dora’s thoughts quickened.

Knowing that this was a life or death situation, Dora forced her body to get off the ground despite the sharp pain and soreness. She gasped and her eyes widened as the mist of snow began to dissipate.

“Harriet!!”

“Harriet!” Cold flakes, like beautiful floating crystals, forced their way into Dora’s throat as a fine mist of snow and debris wrapped around her like a smothering embrace. She coughed uncontrollably, her throat aching with a sharp, numbing pain.

Faced with what might be a life-or-death situation, her legs, trembling with fear, moved on their own. “...Why?” Cold beads of sweat formed on her forehead, freezing in seconds before falling silently to the ground.

“I need to save her. But…” Dampened sounds of a battle broke through the thick mist. Wet, visceral crunches echoed, like the snapping of bones—probably from the creature that had hunted them relentlessly.

Dora scrunched up her face, refusing to let herself imagine what was happening. Groans followed, tired and strained, most likely coming from Harriet, each one piercing like a knife. Dora drew in a sharp breath, letting the cold air numb the pain, if only for a few moments.

She wanted to check on Harriet. She needed to. But how? She was just a powerless fifteen-year-old girl. And though she knew she should be angry at herself for her helplessness… she wasn’t. She felt nothing. Why? She couldn’t figure it out. Maybe because it wasn’t her job to fight monsters.

No one could blame her for running away from a fight she couldn’t possibly win, right? She cared about Harriet, she really did. That’s why she had to make the smart choice and not throw her life away for nothing. If Harriet was still alive, she’d understand. That thought alone made Dora want to laugh.

In a twisted way, it was almost funny. Why was she even here, in a world she couldn’t change? The only thing that mattered now was surviving. It always has been. Waves of doubt washed over her.

Did she actually care about Harriet, or had the older woman just been a way to stay alive? How could she even tell the difference? Dora’s eyes strained to make sense of the shifting shapes in the mist. She could make out two silhouettes.

One, a frantic, humanoid shape, flickering like heat in the air. The other was a long, massive figure, its movements shaking the ground with every impact.

That was enough for Dora. She turned and began her slow, stumbling escape in the opposite direction, her feet dragging through the thick snow. She could barely keep herself from falling when the ground quaked beneath her, but somehow, she stayed on her feet.

Then, without warning, something cylindrical flew past her and landed in front of her with a soft thud in the snow.

“Huh?” Before the falling snow could bury it, Dora knelt down to inspect it. The cold didn’t even register anymore, just a sensation her body was too numb to care about.

It was an arm. A severed arm, covered in green vines, the flesh beneath it rotting and jelly-like. Normally, she would’ve been horrified. But right now, all she felt was excitement. She squeezed the limb tightly, her fingers sinking into the sickly skin.

This was it. Her ticket to freedom. Her chance to leave all this behind.

“I… I’m sorry. But you told me to c-choose…” Dora swallowed hard. “Between fight and flight.” Her mouth twisted into an ugly grin, her eyes wide and wild.

She giggled, almost giddy. “I didn’t hesitate. We’ll both survive. Ehehe…” She pressed the arm against her face, rubbing her cheek against the cold, clammy skin.

She remembered Harriet talking about her magician’s business trip to Russia, and how she had tried pelmeni for the first time. The memory flitted through Dora’s mind for just a second before vanishing. Then she started moving again, jerky and frantic like a puppet on strings.

“You said you wanted to eat pelmeni again, didn’t you, Harriet? My precious second invitation mark. My dear new friend, Ha-rri-et…” Dora frowned as she glanced back over her shoulder.

“I’ll keep you in good memory, Harriet the lunch lady. Ech, ech,” she coughed.

With resolute steps, fueled by the desire to escape to safety, Dora progressed faster than she ever had since entering this Boreal realm. Her face gave off an eerie, surreal vibe—her mouth twisted into a wide grin, pale lips ruptured by the cold. Blood had frozen on them, creating red flakes fused with the ice. Her eyes were wide and caked in crunchy snowflakes that stabbed at her every time she blinked. A trail of steam escaped her mouth as she breathed on Harriet's severed green arm, holding it close to her face. The faint warmth of the still-pulsating blood provided small comfort.

“Ehe... What was that, Harry?” Dora rasped, her voice hoarse. “We’re getting closer to the end?”

Right on cue, a green shimmer began to radiate from the arm, as well as from Dora’s own hand—the same hand that had received the invitation mark when she touched the door to the principal’s office. The snow beneath her feet turned a soft, magical emerald. Both warmth and sharp pain surged through her hand, but she had grown so accustomed to suffering that it barely registered.

Dora’s steps came to a sudden halt. The momentum almost sent her falling into the snow. Crack.

“Huh?” She stepped back, then bent down to pick up a round, silver object from the snow. “How curious…” she whispered, anticipation thick in her voice.

It must have fallen from the arm. She flicked it open with a swift motion—a broken makeup compact. A cracked mirror stared back at her, a myriad of fractured Doras locking eyes with her through its shattered surface. Beneath the mirror was a compartment containing powder and a small brush. Dora wasn’t an expert on makeup, but the texture and faint smell told her it had been used recently.

“Why would she... in this situation?”

Memories flashed in her mind like a silent movie. Harriet, always telling Dora to eat first. Harriet, who never took a bite herself, except for the spilled peaches she couldn’t bear to waste. Harriet, who appeared exhausted yet somehow maintained a healthy front. The images raced through Dora’s mind, her lips moving silently as she sorted through her thoughts.

Suddenly, the realisation hit her like a warm blanket: Harriet had been going hungry. Starving herself so Dora wouldn’t have to. The older woman, the lunch lady, had given up food to ensure that Dora, a growing girl, wouldn’t suffer.

“A magician never reveals her tricks…” As Dora snapped back to reality, she noticed the ice on her face had melted. Absent-mindedly, she took shaky steps backward into the cold snow, her feet stung by its icy bite. Hot, salty tears welled up beneath her eyes, like bullets waiting to be fired. She carefully wrapped Harriet’s arm beneath her fur jacket, holding it like a baby.

Her fists clenched until her bones ached, and she gritted her teeth so hard they creaked like an old wooden floorboard. Without hesitation, she turned and ran—ran back toward the battlefield, her mind now filled with resolve and bravado.

With a vein popping out of her forehead, Dora sprinted across the snow. Fatigue lashed at her, but she ignored it. The anxiety that Harriet might be nothing but gibs of flesh at this point tried to burrow its way into her tender brain, but she shoved it aside. Hot tears washed her dirty face clean, and no impulse of fear could make her body quiver now; every snowflake that landed on her face melted instantly. If one landed in her unkempt black hair, it only served to add a beautiful contrast. The emerald glow from the invitation marks faded as Dora gapped the distance from this world's exit.

Swinging her arms with every step, she arrived at the site of battle within minutes, swatting the snowy mist out of her way.

“Dora! Have I not told you to choose between fight and flight and stick to one, you foolish girl?!”

Harriet’s voice, though harsh, carried a hint of desperation. Dora spotted her across the snow, and her heart sank. Harriet was battered. The green rot had advanced to one side of her head, covering her neck and part of her face with sickly vines. Apparently, losing her arm had only accelerated the process.

Dora furrowed her brow, a strange shine in her eyes.

“Still,” Harriet managed a kind smile through the pain. “It’s good to see you. Watch out!”

Before Dora could react, Harriet pushed her into the snow, out of the way just as a massive plant stalk with the diameter of a truck wheel burrowed itself from the ground where she had been standing.

“Use your powers,” Dora’s voice was abrupt, but resolute. She was already running through options in her head, picking the most obvious.

“I can’t! I—” Harriet paused as she caught Dora’s expression. She understood immediately—Dora knew. Now, Harriet knew why Dora had come back for her. “I’m out of energy. See? Abr.” Instead of her usual demonic voice, only a pitiful crow-like croak left Harriet’s throat.

Dora sighed, spitballing new ideas.

“Careful!” Harriet grabbed her hand, and they leapt just in time to avoid another slam from the monstrous plant, rolling through the snow, arm in arm. Despite being drained of energy, Harriet still had superhuman strength. As they rolled, Harriet retrieved her severed limb and, with a swift motion of her cape, attached it back to her bleeding stump. But it was clear she was in bad shape. Blood trickled from her brow, her breath ragged. A small part of Dora felt concerned, but…

“We have to get out of here,” Dora said in a calm, steady voice, as if the threat looming over them was a mere inconvenience.

The plant stalk shifted back, revealing the decapitated corpse of the Ratatoskr hanging from its tip, a large, beautiful pink and white flower blooming where its head once was. Every movement of the stalk made the corpse twitch unnervingly.

“But how?” Harriet asked, clearly unsure of any solution.

Dora, however, had one. Using the opportunity of Harriet lying on her stomach, she sat on top of her, anger flashing on her face as she gritted her teeth.

Harriet rolled her eyes upwards. “Dora, now is really not the time! And we can’t! Think of the age difference!”

“What—” Dora’s face flushed red, her eyes widening in disgust. “Idiot! We’re getting out of here using my most powerful, most secret, most hidden technique. Watch and learn! And remember, if you tell anyone about this, I’ll be forced to kill you, Harriet. I’m sorry.”

An ugly grin, one more befitting of Jennifer, spread across Dora’s face. Harriet had sacrificed so much, worked so hard. Now, Dora had a chance to repay her, or die trying.

The ground rumbled again as the plant beast prepared its next attack.

“And what would that be?” Harriet asked, uncertainty dripping from her voice.

Dora grinned wider. “Prepare for—” She grabbed Harriet’s long hair with both fists, twirling it around like reins. “Final Ray Technique of the Thousand Suns—melt the snow and pave a way, the brave die and only cowards live to see the next day—Grand Escape Eldorado!”

Harriet tried to lift herself from the ground, but each time she did, Dora yanked on her hair, slamming her face into the snow with brutal force. “Stay down!” Dora barked, steering Harriet like a sled through the snow.

Harriet squeaked something muffled into the snow but raised a thumb in reluctant approval as Dora continued to drag her, narrowly avoiding the next attack by the Ratatoskr-Flower-Stalk hybrid. With each frantic yank of Harriet’s hair, they swerved away from danger, barely keeping ahead of the massive plant as it crashed down behind them.

The ground cracked beneath the beast’s weight, snow exploding in every direction, but Dora’s grip remained firm. “We’re getting out of here, Harriet, whether you like it or not!” She cackled, pulling Harriet along as the two slid across the snow-covered battlefield, dodging death with every turn.

Although it was only moments until Harriet’s and Dora’s arm bathed their surroundings in a wonderful green, it felt like an eternity due to the looming danger that was chasing them. The transition from the snowy hell to the real world was abrupt and anticlimactic; no loading screens or blue wobbly portal animations around them unlike what Dora had expected. Basically the same as when Dora had arrived here in the first place.

Having gained a lot of speed, Harriet slammed into a shelf in the storage room with a metal clink. Cans of ravioli plummeted on her head. Her face was all swollen and red and her tongue was sticking out. She truly must have been exhausted. Dora appeared in the real world in her pink underwear while Harriet wore a white apron and was otherwise naked. Apparently items brought from the other world to the real one disappeared upon entrance.

Despite the cold nature of the typical storage rooms in America, it was almost tropical compared to the place the two women had emerged from. Dora immediately began to sweat as did Harriet. Her heart began to calm down and relief set in. Fatigue overcame her and her entire body was shaking. She had to fight to hold back a nervous laugh. The quiet of no longer feeling the ground trembling, no longer having to fear to freeze to death, no longer being in imminent danger through a supernatural monster who looked like it escaped one of Dora’s anime was pure balm for the soul. For a moment fear returned as Harriet didn’t breathe. If she was dead, then all was practically for nothing. Dora sat still with bated breath. Seconds later, the older woman started snoring. The school girl sighed in relief. She finally allowed herself to savour the warmth and the comfort of the real world. It was like she had woken up from a bad dream.

Still grasping Harriet’s hair in a pigtails style fashion, Dora felt a presence. She turned her head to the side to catch confused glances from Jennifer and Natalya. “What?” Dora exclaimed in irritation. Jennifer raised an eyebrow while Natalya blushed under her horse mask.

“What?!”