Finally, I seem to have gotten their attention. Josie is the first one to turn to look at me, raising her eyebrows slightly when she sees me jogging towards her. She nudges Samantha on the arm who then lowers her hands and turns in my direction. I think I see the hint of a half-smile on her face when she realizes I’ve changed my mind, and I’m willing to let her have the satisfaction, considering how narrowly I almost missed them. “I’m sorry,” I say, breathless as I slow to a walk and close the distance between us. “I’m sorry. I almost didn’t make it.”
Samantha quirks an eyebrow at me. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“If you think I’m saying I’ve had a change of heart and want to come with you after all, then yes,” I reply without missing a beat. My face feels a little flushed, both from the exercise and from the embarrassment.
Samantha’s smile grows. “I’m glad to hear it. I had a feeling you might end up coming here after all.” She holds her hand out to me, and I can see the honesty in her eyes. Not hesitating this time, I reach out and take it, giving it a short, firm shake. “You made the right choice, Millie. Seriously.”
I nod, still breathing hard, and the sense of relief that washes over me is enough to make me agree with her. “Well,” I say, trailing behind them as they return to the end of the pier, “what happens now? Horse-drawn carriage? Flying carpet?”
Josie chuckles. “Don’t you think that would be a little cliche?” She turns to Samantha, who nods and extends her arms again. I watch as her skin turns red, the color rippling up her arms to her elbows, her palms beginning to glow with an eerie light in a matching shade of crimson. I glance behind us. If someone happened to pass by, they would be in for one hell of a sight. But there’s nothing to worry about; the marina is deserted, and even on the farther docks there’s hardly a soul to be seen.
Overhead, a seagull shrieks down at us. For a moment, there’s just the silence of the pier, the lapping of the waves, and my own heart beating in my ears. Then I notice a tingling sensation in my body. It starts in my fingers and then begins to vibrate upwards, growing stronger each time. Seconds later, my eyes widen as I stare down at my body. If I hadn’t seen everything I’ve seen in the past day, I would think I was hallucinating. I can see through my legs. Underneath my feet, which have gone translucent, I can make out the shape of the boards we’re standing on.
I snap my head back up, panicking a little, and grab Josie by the arm. “It’s okay,” she says, nodding down at her own legs. They’re turning see-through as well, as are Samantha’s. “Just relax. It will be over in a minute.”
Fighting my instinctive reaction to freak out, knowing already that at this point I’m better off just sitting back and enjoying the ride, I drop my shoulders and let the sensation wash over me. Soon, the planks under my feet are changing color, going from brown to vibrant green, and I can see the shapes of grass blades becoming clear. It’s like a Polaroid photograph that’s slowly developing in front of my eyes, except instead of the changes happening on a piece of celluloid, they’re happening to the ground beneath me. The next thing I know, the cool breeze off the ocean is dying down, the sky turning overcast, the sounds of the waves fading into the background.
I look around again, and my breath catches in my throat.
We’re no longer at the Marina. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that we’re no longer in the city, period. We now stand on top of a sloping hill, with green fields stretching out as far as the eye can see. In the distance is a forest, following more rolling hills onto the horizon. It’s nowhere I can recognize, and for all I know, we could be miles away from where we just were. In fact…
“Where are we?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“A few minutes off campus,” Josie replies. She points behind me, and I follow her motion, eyebrows raising as I take in what’s on my other side. The hill continues downward, lush green grass carpeting the ground, and at the bottom is an enormous, old building. It reminds me a little of an old-fashioned boarding school, like something out of a movie, supported by tall marble pillars, with balconies on every story and ivy creeping up the outer wall. In front of it is a paved road that wraps around in a loop before snaking away towards the forest in the background.
“Is that…?” I ask, not able to pull my gaze away. Samantha nods.
It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I can’t help but suck in a breath. This can’t be real, can it? None of this is possible. Again I wonder if I’m dreaming, and again I have to remind myself that I’m not. “Where are we?” I ask, my voice sounding soft and far away. “How did we get here?”
“A teleportation spell,” Samantha replies. “It’s a taxing form of magic, especially when we’re going this far, but it’s more efficient than other human forms of transportation. Sometimes I forget what it’s like to experience it for the first time.” She puts her hands on her hips, and I can now see that she looks a little drained.
