Muffled screaming. Gurgles. Water filling lungs. Trapped.

Gagging.

Can't stop.

Panic in eyes.

Everyone thrashing. So many mouths. So many bubbling screams. So many hands reaching. Reaching for anything, needing an escape, begging for an escape, but nothing.

Gasping, Airya awoke holding onto her throat and falling to the floor on her knees. Hethei, now awake, flew down next to her. Breathing heavily a couple of times, she sprawled onto her back, trying to catch her breath. Trying to get all the images of her people trapped and suffering out of her head. She had been right there struggling with them. Maybe that was where she was supposed to be.

She shook her head and sat up. If she thought that way, she would never accomplish anything. But that panic was still there. The more she tried to ignore it, the more it grew. All of those people suffering. Too many people. Smiles flashed across her mind. Happy smiles taking in life one hard chore at a time while the sun beat down in Nokia. She already missed it. She missed being around so many people who all had a purpose. All those people who kept the Kingdom a true kingdom when she had only an empty one.

She put her hand to her head. It hasn’t even been a day, and she found herself desperate to go back. Desperate to be around others, especially after her dream. She wanted and needed to be around people who were happy, reminding her that life isn't just despair. If she stayed where she was, alone, wallowing, she knew she would fall back into thoughts she couldn’t crawl out of. She needed to keep herself busy and distracted. But studying and going on another journey for something that would not bring her people back didn't sound like it was going to keep her mind distracted enough. She needed noise. She needed to lose herself in people's faces and be surrounded by buzzing energy. She needed to find somewhere else as busy as Nokia so she could take it in and lose herself before she was ready to start back at the beginning of finding whatever she needed to bring her Kingdom back to life.

"Hethei."

Hethei perked up.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I know we were gone all day yesterday, and you might want to stay home for a while, but I need to leave and go somewhere."

He looked at her and tilted his head to the side, confused.

"Anywhere to distract me from my thoughts," she said, standing up, begging her magick to take her somewhere busy and chaotic.

A hole opened. Hethei flew and clung onto her shoulder, refusing to let her go alone. She smiled at the loyal bird and stepped into the portal.

She stepped out into a small thin street surrounded by tall buildings on each side with no one directly around her. The world around her was loud, with people talking, walking, and driving cars that made deafening sounds. She was just outside a narrow grey street that opened into a larger one with black roads.

It was bright.

Hethei took off high above her, landing on a building next to her. It was so high that she couldn't see him puff out his feathers in distress. She imagined he didn't like the chaos. She smiled, welcoming the feeling of warmth again, not minding the thick atmosphere that smelled hot and slightly rotten. She walked into the street where so many people were walking either one way or the other, and followed them in tow just enjoying getting lost in the crowd.

Until she ran into someone with an oomph. She stumbled back, a muffled apology on her lips. But when the slim, disheveled man she ran into turned to her, she swallowed hard. He was staring with wide, lost, brown eyes into her yellow ones.

He shook his head and snapped his attention back to what he was doing.

Her heart stopped.

He had Obsviden’s mark on the black bag he was holding. He rummaged through it and pulled out an item she couldn’t make out to hand to a boy he must have been talking to in front of him.

“Sir Eli, at your service,” he said and then ran his hand through his messy black hair.

Airya turned and ran.

The last person she wanted to run into was Obsviden. The last person she wanted to think about was him. Why was his mark on that bag? What were the chances that she had come here to run into a connection with him?

But then again, she seemed to constantly be drawn to him and his mark most places she went.

The hope she had at distracting herself was not working. She needed to get home.

She ran into one of the empty streets shoved between two buildings and reached for her home, her kingdom, the place she knew she belonged and needed to return to. No more diversions.

"No, frek!"

She turned. She was surprised to hear that word. She knew she had heard it before.

A person was running down the small street toward her, "Is that a portal?"

The hole to her world close up. She looked to the boy who was now her age.

It was that boy. The boy she had dropped into a world of water that she had almost killed.

"No way! The yellow eyes. You ARE that girl from months ago! But you’re older now! And you aren’t wearing… you’re wearing something different.”

Airya stared and Hethei hissed. The boy was dressed in clothing with some kind of notes and instruments on the center of the material over his chest She didn’t think she would ever see this boy again. Didn’t think she would have to face what she accidentally did.

His face resonated with how damaged she now felt inside. And his eyes… they were neon green. A neon green she had seen before in that other world.

Was he a Green Eye?

"You know… because of you, I started watching sci-fi movies.”

She didn’t know what that meant.

“Frek,” he breathed. “I really can’t believe I ran into you again.”

Airya looked at him. "What does frek mean?"

"Oh. That’s just a word I tend to use. I used to use freak all the time, and my uncle kept yelling at me for it, so it became frek, and he just accepted it and settled," he smiled at the memory.

Hethei puffed out his feathers.

Airya nodded to Hethei, understanding him not completely trusting the boy after what she had done. She turned away from him, ready to leave and return to her world.

"Wait! I have to know what, brought you here again. Where are you from? I don’t even know your name."

She turned back to look again at his deformed face that didn't ruin the handsome smile he gave her, now that he saw she was hesitating. She was curious and wanted to know more, especially about his eyes. Those green neon eyes like the ones displayed in The Place of Yellow Dust. But… she couldn't have any more distractions.

“I’m sorry,” she offered.

“For what?” he asked, losing his smile.

“For almost killing you before. I hadn’t known what I was doing then….” It felt good to get the apology off her chest, but she couldn’t help the fear quaking inside her at the hatred for her she was sure he felt.

He nodded and ran his hand through the hair that refused to grow through the gnarled scars on his right side, “It’s ok. You were young. I didn’t blame you. If anything, I was in shock. And it took weeks to get the water out of my ear hole,” his shy smile returned. “What’s your name?”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Airya,” she whispered.

“I’m Desmond,” he held out his hand for her to shake. She took it and found her fingers easing into his gentleness as he gave her the lightest shake of her hand. “Nice to formally meet you. I’m sorry that before I was in a bad place. This is the real me, though. The me you should have met.”

When she had met him, he had just lost his uncle. Now, it was her who had lost so much.

“Are you ok?” he looked alarmed.

She cringed, embarrassed that her sadness must have shown on her face.

He quickly changed the subject, “Apparently, you travel. So how do you decide which world belongs to you if you aren't stuck in just one?"

She examined his twinkling green eyes that bothered her. She never thought that way about her traveling worlds before. "I have a world that belongs to me. Its name is Ausrine."

"What a beautiful name for a place. And who is owl friend that you lost before?” He put out his hand to touch Hethei. Hethei hissed.

Airya smiled, always loving when Hethei decided to be on guard instead of cowering, "This is Hethei."

Desmond kept his hand in mid-air, "Does he like anything?"

"Rats."

Desmond put down his hand, "Well, I don't have that, but I can go to a pet store for you and get him a mouse that they usually sell to feed snakes if he would like."

Hethei stared at him wide-eyed.

"He’s OK. I'm sure he could catch his own mice here. But anyway, we need to be heading back."

"Do you really?"

He looked at her in a way that begged her for some company to drown out his pain. Company that deep down she knew her heart needed too, especially after what had happened with Aesha. But how could she want or need company when the thought of company hurt her so bad inside?

Her stomach growled, which Hethi noticed. He picked at a strand of her dress with his beak in anticipation. A part of her wanted to stay. A part of her wanted to make up for what she had done to Desmond before. She looked to Desmond again. To his green neon eyes.

Maybe she would. “Do you have something we can eat?”

“Yes! Of course! I have just the place. But first, the pet shop!”

Airya shook her head, "I already told you that Hethei can get his own food."

Hethei puffed up on her shoulder.

"I don't think he would be able to with how busy the streets are at this time of day. I never see mice on the roads or anywhere near here. I’m pretty sure that all the people scare them away."

She looked to the street out from between the buildings. It did look nothing like where she knew rats liked to roam.

She followed him. The streets were busy. People were everywhere. It was one thing to roam around aimlessly like she had been doing earlier with nowhere to go, but trying to follow someone and not lose them was near impossible. It was nice, though because no one took a second glance at her or stopped her. She just dodged in and out of people, trying to keep an eye on Desmond's hair that was cut to his scalp besides the spot that a few more of the burned scars had trickled over taking away any hair behind his missing ear. It made it a lot easier not to lose sight of him since no one around them had scars that matched his. After being pushed twice though, by the carelessness of random people, Hethei took off above them away from the crowd.

Finally, Desmond walked under an arch and slowed his pace. Airya followed. She could breathe again when she saw fewer people around where he had taken her. She held onto her shoulder, still feeling the aftermath of one of the shoves.

"Hey," he said, leaning down to look her in the eye, "I'm sorry for the roughness. Most people here have to get somewhere quickly."

Airya looked back to where they just were and saw Hethei on the arch. No one noticed him. Everyone was lost in their own worlds getting to where they needed to go.

"The pet store is over here," he pointed to a line of buildings, "I'll be right back. You can stay here and watch Hethei so he doesn't feel too lost or scared if you disappear. I'm pretty sure owls aren't allowed in the building."

Airya nodded silently and turned to watch Hethei, who was watching all the people. She didn't understand how so many people looked unhappy. She caught a few smiles on some here and there as they passed or even if they were with someone holding their hand, but so many just stared ahead, looking emotionless or angry. She wrapped her arms around herself. It was crazy how someplace with so many people like Nokia could feel so different and so much lonelier.

"What's wrong?"

Airya jumped. Desmond came up behind her, holding a white box. He came to stand next to her to share the view of Hethei with his bad ear facing her. She had to pull her eyes away from staring at the empty hole. She had never seen an injury that bad.

Desmond waved the box at Hethei and waited till the owl flew down and landed on Airya's shoulder until he opened it and held it up. Hethei leaned in and took out the one mouse, gulping it down. He then walked back and forth on her shoulder in excitement. Airya smiled, watching him, wishing a mouse could make her that happy just as easily.

"I love how easy it is to make him happy. I wish everyone was like that. I have to try so incredibly hard with some people," he held out his hand for a second time, and this time Hethei nuzzled against it. Desmond's never-ending smile widened even further. She was happy that his scars didn't touch his smile. "Now, how about you? Are you hungry?" He looked to Airya.

Wondering what types of food they had here compared to Nokia or Ausrine, she nodded.

"Awesome! I have the perfect place to show you." He took off again and Airya followed behind him, putting some space between them, which he didn't seem to mind. He took that time to approach random people and talk to them. He always talked fast and with a smile while complimenting something about them. Some people looked frightened and stared at his scars and then his missing ear, but Desmond didn't seem to let that deter him.

Airya's heart grew a little. To watch someone like him make people happy was amazing to her and reminded her of Aesha. It was even more impressive that he didn't quite have the beauty Aesha had to make people instantly feel comfortable, and he wasn’t a queen or king. His scars were working against him, but he ignored that and kept on trying. Not only that, but so far, it seemed like no one knew who Desmond was, and he seemed to plow his way into their hearts anyway. It was truly an amazing thing to watch. She continued to follow him. He made a couple more people smile when he complimented them on their way to a small building with the words ICE CREAM outside of it. She didn't know what to make of it.

He waited until she walked up to him, "Everyone loves ice cream. From how confused you look, I’m guessing you never had it," he laughed to himself, "Good! You will love it. There are a couple of tables right there. Pick one, and I'll go get you some."

She looked over and saw two tables and chairs with no one sitting at them. She walked over to one and sat on the hard metal while Desmond disappeared inside. Hethei rubbed his beak against her ear. She looked around, taking in the surroundings. The grass was so green here, and everything was so bright. People walked around dressed with little clothing on them and some wearing the oddest things on their eyes.

Desmond came back and sat at the table across from her. He handed her a bowl filled with a smooth white substance and a spoon made of a material she swore she could easily break. She smiled at the memory of how happy her dad had been when she had brought him back a spoon.

"Just to warn you, it’s a little cold," Desmond said as she held the cold bowl in her hands.

She picked up the spoon and tried to chase away the longing for her father by taking a bite of the white substance. It was cold on her tongue, a burning rush. A feeling she had never felt before. She opened her mouth, not sure what to do. She let some air into her mouth, but it didn’t make the feeling disappear. She closed her mouth again. The sensation hurt the roof of her mouth. She spat whatever Desmond had her try out back into the bowl.

"Gross!" Desmond laughed, "Try to take tiny bites until you maybe get used to it."

Scared now, she put the smallest bite she could on her spoon and inserted it back in her mouth. It bit her tongue for a second and then left an amazing melting sweetness that coolly began to wrap around her tongue. Then it was gone, and it didn't leave her hurting anymore. She took a little bigger a bite next and closed her eyes, enjoying the taste and experience when it wasn’t so rash.

"There you go!" he laughed again, "I guess it takes some getting used to. I got you vanilla, so I didn't shock you with something too crazy."

She looked up into his shining light green eyes, "There are different kinds?"

"Oh yeah! Like a million different flavors!"

"From beyond my eyes..." Airya was not able to imagine that insane amount, "So, everyone eats cold here?"

He laughed again, "No. There are a billion different types of food. Hot, cold, spicy, tart, bitter, sweet, so many."

She nodded, her mind unable to wrap around what he was saying, "It’s amazing how happy you make people."

He shrugged, "Everyone deserves to be happy. Sometimes they need a little help to get in the right direction. Happiness opens your eyes to the world and the things that pain and sadness try to hide from you."

She took another bite of ice cream.

Desmond leaned in closer to look into her eyes. She looked down, feeling awkward. "Where did you get such yellow eyes? Are all your people like that? Like everyone where you are from?"

"Where I’m from. Yes. In Ausrine all of my people had eyes just like mine, but I guess in the world where they were all from, not everyone had yellow eyes."

"All your people can travel worlds?"

"No. Only me. My parents and people were from a place called The Place of the Yellow Dust…” she waited to see if he would react. But he didn’t. “There were the Green Eyes and the Yellow Eyes who lived there. I guess that the Green Eyes grew frightened by the Yellow Eyes and started firing them from jobs and then started trying to change their eyes. It was similar to a big war. My parents were..." she stopped herself. “Actually, they had green eyes a lot like yours? Where did you say your parents were from again?”

“Just out of this country….”

She was being ridiculous.

“Did they have eyes like yours?” Airya continued.

“I… I think so… why are you ask-”

“Do you know exactly where they were from? Do you have any pictures or anything I can see of the place they are from? Or of them?”

Desmond stood up. He was shaking. He pressed his hand to his chest, his breaths shallow. His eyes looked at her like he had that night she had almost drowned him.

What had she done? Why did she care? What did it matter if he was a Green Eye somehow lost in this world?

It shouldn’t. It wasn’t like he had done anything to her. It wasn’t like he had done anything to anyone. It wasn’t her right to know and not her right to pry when he was hurting only to satisfy her curiosity.

He did not deserve that, especially for what a good person he was. She shouldn’t be hurting him again like she had before.

“I’m so sorry,” Airya said, standing up. “That was not fair. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have brought up anything like that. That was not fair to you at all.”

A single tear dripped onto the table. Her tear. Her tear for the unfairness and pain she had caused this innocent boy all over again. Her tear for the injustice in every world and the pain she caused everywhere she went.

A hand laid across hers. “It’s ok,” he said, “I don’t know your story. But if you are willing to tell me, I will listen.”