"Um. No?" Michael said, looking at her in confusion. 

"What?" Nora asked, still disoriented.

"You just called me Emma."

"Did I?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay. Well you're not."

"Yeah. I know."

"Okay."

"Are you okay?" Nora could see the concern on his face and hear it in his voice.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." She didn't know why, but she decided not to tell him about the vision, or dream, or whatever it was.

"Are you sure?" his father asked. He was hovering over Michael's shoulder, a concerned look on his face.

"Yes," she sais forcefully, sitting up to prove her point. 

"Okay," Michael said, still sounding worried and unsure.

"We have to go. Now. We have to find the fireflies," Nora said, standing up quickly. She felt the floor tilt under her and she reached out and put a hand on Michael's shoulder to steady herself.

"Hang on. You can barely stand. Maybe we should wait until you get better," Michael responded, trying to guide her back to a sitting position. She resisted and looked at him sadly.

"I'm only going to get worse. If we're going to do this, then it has to be now."

"Then let us handle it. I can't let you get hurt again."

"I'm sorry, But this is something I have to do." Michael hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Nora took her hand off of his shoulder, standing on her own. "Okay. How are we going to get back?" she asked, suddenely realizing that they were in the middle of nowhere.

"I can get us back," Michael responded, leading her and his father, who had been strangely quiet this whole time.

Once outside, he put his hands out in front of himself and closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose. "Traiciendam curaret ut domum ad domum non." Right before their eyes, the air seemed to shimmer as a door appeared out of thin air. The door swung open to reveal a swirling mass of pure magic. It shimmered like a fairy's wings and swirled like a whirlpool of color.

"It's beautiful," Nora whispered, reaching out to touch it. 

"Indeed. It is," Michael's father said quietly from behind them. " but I'm afraid I can't go with you."

"What? Why?"

"Portals are spaces of pure magic. A mere human would not survive the passage. It would be a sensory overload," he explained carefully.

"But I thought you didn't need to have magic to use it."

"That's true, but harnessing it and passing through a wall of it are entirely different things. I'm sorry son."

"But I just got you back." Michael's father smiled sadly.

"I will still be here when you get back. I promise." Michael nodded, his mouth set in a line. He turned towards the portal and grabbed Nora's hand. She sqeezed his hand gently, and he squeezed back, smiling softly. The walked slowly towards the portal, knowing that what awaited them on the other side was something that neither of them would be able to face alone. 

Michael's father watched sadly as they disappeared into the portal, knowing that only one of them would return.