The fall this time was different. Jake had gotten used to the sudden drop that the rising sun brought, but this time something was off. Extra weight in front of him as Alice gripped his hand, surprise flashing across her face as the pair collapsed to the ground.

A thick blanket of moss covered the earth, providing a soft cushion for the two to land in. Hardly any light shined on the pair. It was all caught in a dazzling display of color and light above, reflecting in the leaves of the thick trees that surrounded the duo. Their leaves glittered in all manner of colors, from sparkling purple to dazzling yellow to rich red and cool blue, a beautiful display of nature that drew the eye. The two had landed in a small clearing, with barely any room to walk around in, and the glittering trees had grown so close together that no gaps were left to allow the two any escape from the clearing.

Not that either noticed this issue. Seconds after landing, Alice was entranced with the world above. Her breath caught in her throat as all sorts of questions and comments she wanted to make died, lost in the beauty of the world around her. She’d never seen such wonderous colors glittering so freely, so uncaring.

The last time she could recall seeing color weaved together in a display nearly as beautiful as what shimmered above was when she wandered lost into Highstreet. Everyone there had mulled about dressed in tailcoats and dazzling evening gowns. She remembered feeling so scared at the time, the dazzling dresses around her brought only fear as her cloaked disguise did nothing to hide her, only draw more attention toward herself. As the denizens of Highstreet looked on at her with disgust, she had been so certain that she’d be caught.

Yet now, looking up above at the dazzling scenery, no fear filled her. Only a sense of wonder. The puffed gowns and displays of wealth she remembered from Highstreet failed to compare to the beauty above. It wasn’t just the exquisite scenery, even the little things sent her heart fluttering with joy. The moss beneath her, the feeling of the wind against her face, the smell of the forest lingering in the air.

Her whole life everything had felt rotten. From the district she was born in to the city she crept through. Death and blood where her norm as she struggled to stay hidden, struggled to survive. The scenery above, the idyllic picture of nature sent her spiraling, unable to process the beauty around her or how it was possible she could be experiencing such things.

Eventually, she managed to draw her eyes away from the trees above, looking toward Jake who sat frozen, unmoving from where he’d landed. His eyes were glued to his hand. A small shudder ran through his body continuously and his eyes were wide with horror.

“Jake?” Alice asked, moving closer to him. She’d been so absorbed in the sudden explosion of beauty around her she’d failed to notice him slipping into an almost catatonic state. She reached out toward his shoulder, yet he flinched backward, crawling away till his back slammed into the thick trunk of one of the trees surrounding the duo.

“What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?” That was all Jake would say, muttering to himself over and over as he looked toward Alice, horror and regret in his eyes. How could he? How could he drag someone else into this nightmare?

Nausea and guilt rose from the pit of his stomach as he looked toward Alice. She looked at him with a look of confusion and concern. She’d saved his life, he owed her his life. And now accidentally or not he’d dragged her into his hell.

“What's wrong with you?” Alice asked, skootching away a bit from Jake and retracting the arm she’d extended out for him. Looking down she began to worry if she somehow insulted him, disgusted him. She’d almost forgotten in their short time together he was Unbroken. Just because he acted strange towards her at first doesn’t mean she should be surprised if recoiled from her. It was natural for the Unbroken to despise the Broken.

“I’m… I’m so sorry…” Jake finally said after a long while. Looking up, Alice saw he wouldn’t meet her gaze. He only stared at the floor yet even without seeing his eyes Alice could feel the shame and regret pouring off him in waves.

“Sorry, for what exactly?” Alice asked, starting to get a bit annoyed.

“For this,” Jake said gesturing around vaguely toward the trees growing up around the pair, confusing Alice, “For dragging you hear.”

“You did this?!” Alice said, excitement gushing from her voice as she inched closer to Jake. “Is this how you got into the city? Why here? Why did you take me with you?”

“I… I didn’t mean to take you with me. It was an accident, I swear. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I… I don’t know how to take you back. I’ve been lost for weeks, a month now? I’ve lost track of time. It just started one day. Every day when the sun rises I just… slip and fall somewhere new. I’ve been trying to survive, trying to find a way home but so far I’ve found nothing. I’m sorry…”

Jake couldn’t look at her when he finished his explanation. He knew she’d have more questions, questions he probably wouldn’t be able to answer, but he wanted to make sure to tell her the most important piece of info first. She was stuck, trapped with no way home.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Alice sat for a minute in silence before falling back into the moss, gazing up at the beautiful glitter of the leaves above. So alien, nothing she could have ever imagined seeing a few days ago. Nothing she could have ever seen a few days ago. A grin broke across her face before a burst of mad laughter tore through her, so violent it left her curled and crying. A smile so large it hurt her face refused to leave her as her laugh began to die down. A moment’s silence followed before an uncontrolled scream escaped her, tearing through the clearing and shocking Jake,

“I’M FREE!” This cry brought with it another wave of laughter as Alice laid back on the ground, laughing to herself.

Watching Alice’s jubilant reaction to his words helped Jake to calm down from his initial panic, and helped him to think about things a bit more rationally. He knew little about Alice’s world beyond what she’d told him and what he’d seen. But he’d seen enough to know her life could not have been easy. Her body looked like it was falling apart, her rations unappetizing, and her treatment brutal and horrid.

He didn’t know what she left behind, what friends or family she may have had but it was clearly not enough for her to have any sort of attachment to her home like he did. When he first saw her land across from him all he could see was himself. Desperate and confused, alone and lost in the desert with no way home and no idea why he was there.

But they were fundamentally different. All Jake could think of some days was running back home, surviving, and finding a way to see his family again. It was all he had to keep himself going. Watching Alice cackling and celebrating on the moss-covered floor, it looked like all she could think about was running away, finding a way to survive, and never looking back. Yet Jake couldn’t help but worry she would come to regret her newfound freedom.

Jake thought back to what he’d seen over the weeks so far as he struggled from one world to another. The swarm and flesh that gripped hold of him with desperate madness, the gunshot tearing through his body leaving him to slowly bleed out across the stone floor, the creature with razor-sharp claws whose furious eyes still haunted Jake in his sleep. Jake counted himself lucky to still be alive, and he’d only been on this journey for a few weeks now. He was no expert on whatever was pulling him from world to world.

He had no clue how this phenomenon worked. He had no guarantee that tomorrow he wouldn’t fall into an active volcano, a bottomless pit, or the vacuum of space. He didn’t like to spend much time speculating about it. He had no way of figuring out what was pulling him from world to world so wasting his time speculating about it just filled him with dread about a problem he couldn’t solve. But now he had to think about it, worry about it. Solve it. Alice was only there because of him; it was his responsibility to keep her safe as best he could as long as she was stuck with him.

Standing up Jake walked across the cramped clearing till he was standing above Alice, who still lay flat on her back. A look of utter ecstasy on her face as she stared above at the glittering leaves.

“I can guess that even if I found a way to take you back, you wouldn’t want to go back home?”

Alice shook her head no, a smile on her face as she continued to look up at the trees above. Her heart felt more at ease now than it had in a long while.

“I’m never going back. I’d rather die.”

A sigh of mixed emotion escaped Jake’s lips as he sat down beside Alice. Unsure of how to broach what he wanted to say next, he decided to simply rip the band-aid off directly.

“You saw me before, right? Bleeding out alone and ignored on some random street corner? I’d never willingly drag you or anyone else into this mess I’m stuck in because to tell you the truth… I’m probably going to end up dead.”

Alice turned from the sky above and looked toward Jake. He looked pale and though he wore a smile on his face it looked hollow and fake. A look of genuine terror was on his face as he continued,

“I try to ignore it, try to tell myself I’ll make it home no problem. Force myself to believe that no matter what I have to make it home. But I have no idea what I’m doing or what’s happening to me. I hate it, every single second of it, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. But you, I don’t really know anything about where you’re from. But I saw enough to know it’s horrid. I know I can’t begin to imagine what your life must have been like.”

Jake extended his hand toward Alice, a small smile across his face.

“I’m glad you can feel so happy, so free now. And I promise you this, as long as you want to stick with me, I’ll keep you safe as best I can. Till we can find you somewhere truly beautiful to call home, I'll do my best. I promise you that.”

Alice looked at him for a moment before a twinkle took hold of her eyes and she gripped hold of his hand.

“Whatever you say, man. Now get down here would yah? You’re interrupting my view.”

With a rough tug she yanked Jake forward till he lay flat on his back beside her. For the first time since landing in the clearing, he took in the view of the forest above. The glittering twinkling of the leaves dancing above, the shifting colors that danced in the sun.

“It’s beautiful…” Jake lost himself for a moment, gazing up at the swirling beauty above.

“I know, right?” Alice said, a giggle escaping her, “Never thought I could see anything like it.”

Jake glanced toward his side and saw Alice, her eyes open in amazement, her cracked face filled with content. He’d not known her for long, but he’d never seen her look so peaceful and free so long as she’d been with him. Some of the guilt began to ease from his consciousness as he saw her backing in nature’s glow. He didn’t know where or when, but he’d find somewhere for her, somewhere safe she could be truly free.

Alice didn’t care much about what Jake had said, she was no stranger when it came to danger. The feeling of constant paranoia and fear she was so used to was gone now, replaced by a giddy feeling that wouldn’t leave her heart no matter how much time passed. She had seen in his eyes Jake meant every word he said, but she couldn’t bring herself to muster up the same fear he held for what lay ahead. Even if the worst came to pass, she’d much rather die free than be trapped behind the district's fence.