Chapter 5: The Flash
Aspen stood at the edge of the grove, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of what she had just seen. A flash of light had come from within the trees, strong enough to illuminate the entire area for a brief moment. It was unlike anything Aspen had ever seen before, and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow connected to Linn, the mysterious girl she had met in the park a few days ago.
Despite her reservations, Aspen found herself drawn towards that grove, her curiosity getting the better of her. She carefully made her way between the trees, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of Linn or the source of the flash. As she went deeper, the air grew colder and the trees seemed to close in around her, blocking out the street lights from the outside world.
Aspen's heart was pounding in her chest as she walked, her senses heightened as she tried to anticipate any danger that might be lurking in the shadows. She had no idea what she was looking for, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Linn was somehow connected to whatever was happening in the grove.
After what felt like an eternity, Aspen came to a clearing at the center of the grove. She stopped in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat as she saw Linn standing in the center of the clearing, her back turned to Aspen, her long blonde hair tangled and her clothes disheveled. Linn was holding a glowing orb in her hand, its light illuminating her face and casting a halo around her head.
Aspen stood there, frozen in place, as Linn turned to face her. She saw the shock and surprise on Linn's face as their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
"Aspen," Linn said, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are you doing here?"
Aspen hesitated, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plausible explanation for her presence, but she couldn't think of anything.
"Linn, are you okay?" Aspen asked, rushing over to her, changing the subject.
Linn looked at Aspen with wide, frightened eyes. "I don't know how to quickly explain it, but I think I was followed here, I heard someone behind me"
Aspen's heart pounded in her chest. "Then we have to get out of here, now"
Linn nodded. They stumbled through the park, looking over their shoulders every few seconds. As they reached the edge of the park, they heard a loud crashing sound.
"They're getting closer!" Linn cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Aspen's mind raced. She didn't want to go back to her apartment, how would she know it's safe? But then again, where could they go?
Suddenly, she remembered a place - a hidden door that was said to be in the back of a coffee shop she used to work at, leading to a secret underground network of tunnels.
"I know where to go," Aspen said, tugging on Linn's hand. "But we have to be quick."
They ran through the streets, ducking into alleys and taking twists and turns to shake off any pursuit. When they finally arrived at the coffee shop, Aspen led Linn to the back and searched for the hidden door. It took a few minutes, but finally, she found it. She pushed it open and led Linn inside.
The tunnels were dark and damp, with only a few dimly-lit bulbs illuminating the way. Aspen led Linn through the twists and turns, until they came to a small room with a few cots and a table.
"We can rest here for a while," Aspen said, helping Linn onto a cot.
"We have to be careful," said Linn. "We don't know who else is down here, or what they might be capable of." She was still shaking with fear.
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the tunnels around them. As the minutes passed, Aspen's mind was racing. She knew they couldn't stay in the tunnels forever. And the cats would get hungry. But who was after Linn, and why? And more importantly, how were they going to get out of this mess?
Aspen's eyes were fixed on the glowing orb in Linn's hand. "What is that?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
Linn looked down at the orb, a pained expression on her face. "It's a portal," she said softly. "It's how I travel between worlds."
Aspen's eyes widened. "Worlds? Like, other planets?"
Linn shook her head. "Not exactly. They're more like...alternate dimensions. Different versions of our world."
Aspen tried to wrap her head around the concept. "And you can just go back and forth between them?"
"Yes," Linn nodded. "I'm… a traveler, you could say"
"So, what are you doing here?" Aspen asked. "Why did you come to our world?"
"It wasn't my choice," Linn said, her voice filled with sadness. "More importantly, someone found out that I'm here, and I've been followed and attacked ever since I traveled to this world. That's why I was in the park, trying to lose my pursuers."
Aspen's heart went out to Linn. "And that flash of light I saw? Was that you, using the portal?"
Linn nodded. "Yes. I was trying to get back to my own world, but something went wrong. I ended up here instead. And now the portal won't work for me anymore."
"What do you mean?" Aspen asked.
"I think it's been damaged," Linn said, her voice filled with worry. "I don't know how to fix it, and I'm stuck here until I can figure it out."
Aspen smiled. "You don't have to do this alone," she said. "I'll help you face whatever's coming"
Linn looked up at Aspen, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank you," she said. "I don't know what I would do without your help."
"We'll figure it out," Aspen said. "We'll find a way to get you home."
Linn nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. As the minutes ticked by, Aspen couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was at play here. She knew she had to do whatever it took to help Linn, because she felt that she had found someone special.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Selene_Blackthorn
Selene_Blackthorn Hi ya'll!
I'm back... Yeah, I know, that's been a really long hiatus. I want to try to keep publishing, this time in the long run :) Really sorry for how long this took... Gonna be trying to publish chapters regularly from now on :D
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