A tremble ran through the house.
Kyle didn't know how else to describe it. It was like reality all around them shuddered, though there was no outward sign of it. It wasn't something to be seen or heard or touched, just felt, deep in his bones.
"What just happened!?" Abby asked, whirling around.
"You felt it too? I thought you didn't know anything about magic..." Jenny asked.
"It's her house," Tanya pointed out. "She's connected to it. She'll notice when something changes."
"But it's not my house anymore!" Abby said, her eyes darting around. Everyone looks the same, but it's...it's like visiting a strangers house you've been inside before! It all looks exactly the same but it's not... it's not mine!"
"This doesn't make any sense..." Tanya bit her thumbnail worriedly. "It shouldn't be strong enough to do something like this, unless it got a whole bunch of power from somewhere...."
There wasn't an explosion.
It was more like the FEELING of an explosion. The sense of everything bursting, everything being thrown and torn apart. But there was no sense of motion. In fact it felt like Kyle was standing perfectly still. It was everyone and everything else that moved. A moment where the world was twisted in a nightmare kaleidoscope.
And then he was standing...in a hall. A big, long, empty hall that looked like it COULD be in Abby's house...but wasn't where he had been standing before. It seemed to go on forever in both directions.
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"What the hell!?" Abby shrieked. Her eyes were way too wide, darting around the corridor. "What the hell is going on!?"
This wasn't good. Kyle could already tell that if this was an anime Abby would be getting shown with a close up of her forehead with a fish eye lense. The whole total breakdown bit.
"This is crazy...I mean the blood, and the flowers, that was just Hollywood type stuff but this is my house, my house is attacking us, except it's not my house, but it is, except it's not, it is except it's not it is except it's not it is except it's not it is except it's not it is except it's not it is except it's not it is except...."
"Hey!" Kyle grabbed her around the shoulders. "Hey look at me, okay? You're alright. You're okay. And I'm pretty strong too, okay? I'll look after you until we can find everybody else."
"What?" She blinked. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah okay."
She slapped herself in the cheeks.
"Okay! I'll...be alright."
"Yeah sorry," Kyle said. "I was pretty freaked out at first too. And my first magical thing was a lot nicer than this."
"W-what was it?" Her voice was still trembling , but it didn't sound like she was going to start chewing the walls.
"Jenny appeared topless out of a lamp."
Abby started laughing.
"That does sound way nicer!" She laughed, collapsing into Kyle's chest. "A whole lot better than an evil house. Wait, Jenny is a genie? Did I know that? I can't remember if I knew that..."
"I don't remember if we told you either, and we're both stressed out we can't remember every conversation. You feeling better?"
"Yeah the image of Jenny topless is making me feel better."
"It works on me that way too," Kyle smirked.
"Not like that!" She slapped his shoulder. She took a deep breath and stepped away from him, hugging herself tight.
"Okay," she finally said. "I'm okay. Let's get going. We can't just hang around here."
They started walking down the endless hallway, Abby clinging to Kyle's sleeve with her fingers.