"No, Mom, I’ll be fine," I said, letting out a sigh.

  "Call me as soon as the pne nds!" Practically crying it out, my mom sobbed as she pulled me tighter in her bear hug. I let myself sink into it for a moment before gently pulling away.

  Holding her hands tightly, I reassured her I would call her as soon as the pne nded.

  As I turned around, I could still hear her soft sobs. Reaching the airport gate, I turned around to wave goodbye. Letting out a smile, I turned back and resumed my way to the gate.

  Standing in line to get my suitcase sent and passing security didn’t take as long as I thought.

  "Alright!..." I said to no one in particur.

  I looked down at my Crocs, a mix of baby and dark blue with a whale pin on them. I smiled at the memory that formed in my head. My dad and I had been on a cruise in the Atntic; the whales were beautiful. We loved going into nature.

  On the other hand, I remembered my mom gagging when a butterfly almost nded on her. Her lips twitched, forming a little smile. Caught off guard, I felt a pang in my shoulder. People were walking all around me, their voices never stopping. I realized I was standing in the middle of the area, so I made sure my pouch was securely wrapped around my waist. Feeling it {passport, wallet… check}, and took a step forward.

  ………………………………………………………………

  ??.??.XXXX

  My vision was a blur.

  Lights, then none.

  Voices, then none.

  The smell of gas, then none.

  I first tried to lift my eyelids, they were too heavy. I felt so groggy, simir to how you feel after a very long sleep.

  My head fell to the side.

  It was like I have no control over my body.

  {One, two, three} My eyelids finally went up a bit, still falling and repeating.

  {One, two, three} It became a bit easier now.

  {One, two, three} My eyes were finally open, but {why can’t I see?} Darkness was all I could see. I could feel myself lying on a cold floor. Tilting my head a bit forward {right, I can’t see}. Releasing my head back down, I tried moving my body.

  First, my hands. My fingers were barely moving, twitching—that’s all I could feel them do. I stopped. My head was pounding. I could feel my eyelids closing again, my heart was pounding, starting to hurt. Panic was rising. {Oh, shit.}

  I fainted.

  ………………………………………………………………

  The next time I woke up, it was bright.

  This time, I didn’t have difficulty opening my eyes. In fact, I opened them immediately. My body was finally listening. I sat up.

  I pced my hands behind my body for support. I could feel myself starting to cold sweat. Unlike the first time I didn’t feel groggy, I felt clear-headed.

  I checked at myself first. Still the same clothes—my baggy bck sweater with a little white star at the top. Underneath, I could feel my shirt sticking to me. My blue skinny jeans were still on, and of course, my special Crocs.

  Letting out a sigh of relief, my focus now turned to the pce I was in. The room itself was small. It had a white, sparkly floor, reminding me of hospital floors. The walls were white as well, except for one—the one with a door. A huge bck door, making you wonder if a horse could pass through there. The ceiling, well, was just a ceiling.

  My heart started beating faster again I was beginning to stress out again.

  I could feel my heart almost leaping out. I lifted my hands and moved myself onto my knees, putting my hands on them before pushing myself up.

  {One.} I breathed out and took another breath in.

  {Two.} I let another breath out and took one in.

  {Three.} I let out a breath for the st time.

  {Now rex.} My heartbeat slowed a bit.

  I moved a step toward the door. Cold sweat was forming. I took another step. {Why does it feel so far away?} Taking another step, the silence was deafening. You could hear that 'z' sound. I took another step. {Just one more.} I could already see the patterns on the door, the carvings it had. It was… beautiful.

  On the sides, flowers were carved—some already bloomed, some still growing, and some just seemed like seeds.

  In the center, it was divided—two square-like lines.

  On the outer line, it looked like stars, such beautiful stars…

  I took a step forward, raising my arm to touch it. My hand was an inch away when I saw the inner square. It was the moon cycle, carved carefully with fine details. Somehow, it made me rex. My heart wasn’t trying to jump out anymore. I moved my hands to try and trace the carved stars. However, as soon as I touched the first star, the door opened.