the middle.
NOTE: This is a multi-part Take Ten to Write story. For the story to make the most sense, read all previous parts first. You can read the compiled story here.
Chapter I · Part XII
Walking sucks.
I immediately felt nauseous, both my brain and stomach feeling like they just went through a particularly rough cycle of laundry. Beside me, Nate was bent over, clutching his own stomach.
“It doesn’t get easier,” he admitted, his voice hoarse. “Sorry, I should’ve warned you.”
The recovery, however, appeared to get easier with time; Nate looked alert and ready to go after about thirty seconds, whereas I took several minutes to regain my bearings. Blake and Theo had also arrived during that time and seemed to be in a similar state of sickness.
When I finally felt well enough to look around, my mouth dropped.
“Where are we?” I whispered.
“Welcome to the Middle,” Theo said, spreading his arms.
The best word to describe the Middle was, quite literally, nothing. There was nothing in sight in any direction other than the boys and a big, swirling portal-looking thing.
“Okay, and what is that?” I demanded, staring at the portal.
“We call that the Dimension Door,” Nate said, nodding at it. “That’s what we go through to travel to different Dimensions.”
I took a step closer and the Door shifted; not in location, but in appearance. It turned a dark orange, with what looked like mini lightning bolts jumped across the surface.
“Oh yeah,” Theo said, joining me to look at the Door, “the Door will change to how you’re feeling. Remember when Nate said to feel nothingness? That’s how we got here, right? Now you’re probably feeling,” he trailed off to examine the Door more closely. “Nervous, right?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I guess I’m feeling a little bit nervous now.”
“Why don’t we try thinking of something a bit calmer,” Nate said, coming to stand on my other side.
I turned and held a hand out to Blake. “Remember the field?”
Blake took my hand and nodded, his face still a bit pale. “Yeah, I do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful before.”
“It was a field of tiny pink flowers that covered the ground and looked like a warm, fuzzy blanket,” I explained to Nate and Theo. “We visited once with our parents to have a picnic. I don’t think I’d ever felt calmer before in my life.”
Theo grinned and pointed behind me. “Well, whatever you’re thinking of, it’s working!”
I spun around to see that the Door was now a clear green and the lightning bolts had disappeared, replaced by gentle swirls.
“Ready?” Nate asked, holding out his hand to me once again.
This time, I took it without hesitation and nodded. “Let’s go.”
