Ivy

I pulled Fiona into my room, bolting the door behind us. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." I rushed out, feeling my cheeks heat up like a boiling kettle. "It was- it wasn't planned."

A sly grin pulled at her lips, but confusion laced her brows. "So, what? You and Trevor make plans to kiss in parking spaces?"

My eyes widened instantly. "No, that wasn't what I meant, Fiona. I just- well, I don't have an explanation." I breathe out.

"Yeah? That's cause you shouldn't? Trevor's your boyfriend... You can kiss each other whenever and wherever... It's not a crime." She said, as she began to walk around my room, almost like she was admiring it.

I swallowed. "Yeah, you're right." I muttered, "I'm sorry, I just haven't really been in that position before."

Her eyes landed back on mine. "It's cool." Her smile widened. "Nice bedroom by the way, It's all pinky and girly like. I've never seen anything like it."

I furrowed my brows. "What?"

She gave a small smile. "You might find this odd, but I wasn't really born with a silver spoon like every other kid in ICHS."

My brows pulled up slowly. "Oh..."

She shrugged. "Yeah, but it's no big deal... That was before, now my parents are well to do. My Dad got this amazing job, and we moved here."

"I'm glad to hear that." I smiled. "Well, for what it's worth, you're welcome here anytime... I'm mostly home alone." I told her.

She cocked a brow. "That wasn't the case today."

Heat rushed up my neck and ears. "Seriously? You just had to bring it up." I muttered, embarrassed.

She chuckled. "I can't help it... It's not everyday you see your best fr-" she froze. "I mean, um-" her face lost all trace of colours.

A smile pulled up against my lips. "You consider me your best friend?"

She looked taken aback. "What?" She asked sharply.

"You wanted to say best friend just now... But you stopped yourself... I'm guessing you feel too forward?"

She still looked confused for some seconds before realization dawned on her facial features. "Oh... Yeah... Um, yeah. I was totally calling you my best friend."

"Relax Fiona... It's fine."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes circling open in shock.

"Yup." I said, popping the 'p' "You're a really cool person and I love hanging out with you, so... Why not?"

A strained smile pulled across her lips, but I ignored it, pulling her in for a hug.

She stiffened for a second, before giving in. "This actually feels nice." She said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what can I say? These hugs are only reserved for special people."

_

"This is it?" Roman asked into the dark silence, as he looked around the empty dark bridge. "The most popular bridge in our little town holds a dimension? Awesome." He said, not looking too pleased.

"Don't let it fool you." I said, hugging myself.

He shrugged. "Maybe when we take the grey pill, we'd see the portal?" He said. "We better go change, it's getting really dark."

"It's just 8."

"Just enough time for Ethan to figure out you're missing." He countered back.

I rolled my eyes. 

"I told him I was going over to Fiona's, and that I'd be back soon." I said.

"Did you check in with Fiona?" Roman asked, taking his bag pack off his shoulder.

"Nope."

He gave me a look that screamed. How's that a cover up?

"Relax, he doesn't have Fiona's contact... He wouldn't be able to call to know if I was at hers. If I had checked in with Fiona, I would have had to tell her where I was going, and why I was trying to keep it from Ethan."

"Oh... Makes sense." Roman said. "So what now?"

I smirked. "Now, we're going to do as you said, earlier: change right into our costumes. And swallow some grey pill."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah... Let's get this over with."

Few minutes later, we were all dressed and ready to go. We both looked like dark secret superhero teenagers. I was wearing a black leather pants, black knee length leather boots, a black body hug tee-shirt, coupled with the infamous feminine black jacket. Roman on the other hand was dressed like Ethan on every single day, with his black jean trousers, back converse, grey tee-shirt and a black leather jacket. In other words... We both looked badass.

"Did you really have to go all the way with the black collections? I mean- isn't this too much?" He asked, looking so uncomfortable.

"It's not... And relax, Roman... We'll be out of his sector in no time. And you'd go back to wearing your way too professional glasses made by Einstein."

His face scrunched up in confusion, pulling his brows low, that they almost touched his eyes. "First off, Einstein never made professional glasses? Secondly... I made them. And thirdly.... They're not professional."

"Oh yeah? You sure you made them? Cause if you really did, you'd know they were professional." I said with a sweet smile.

He groaned.

In order to look the part, I made him wear contact lens for this mission, cause I was pretty sure no one at the Inc used glasses.

I mean, why would they? They were not fully humans and the chip controlled their senses. So, I'm pretty sure they all had great vision.

"I don't know Ivy... I have a really bad feeling about this. I feel like we're not fully prepared to- you know... Travel that far?"

I turned to face him now. "For the last time, Roman. Relax. We're not gonna be spending up to two hours in there. We just need some pictures. Some actual proof that this place really does exist. I mean, What's the worst that could happen?"

Roman's face fell immediately. "You did not just jinx this."

I sighed. "There's no such thing." I said, grabbing his hand, and placing a pill on his palm, as I proceeded to swallow mine.

He did the same.

"It has no taste." Roman remarked.

"I noticed." I replied.

He took in a deep breath. "So, uh... Fiona huh?"

I scrunched my brows. "What about Fiona?"

"You both seem to be pretty close." He said.

"Yeah... We just made the best friend title today, and I think its gonna be really great... Why?"

He shook his head. "Nothing... I just- there's just something familiar about her."

"Is there?"

"Yeah... I know I've seen her somewhere before, Ivy. But I don't know where."

I shrugged. "You're probably into her, and you don't realize it yet."

"That's so out of point." He shot me a look.

"Is it?" I smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "Fiona's beautiful, no doubt about that... But that's not where I'm going with this."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I've seen her before, Ivy."

"Where? In your dreams?" I asked.

"No... In a dazed state. But I'm not sure where."

Was he really being serious with this? If he was, where else could he have seen Fiona? She just moved into town. And I was pretty sure she never visited.

Or did she?

It didn't take long before I felt the dull vibration around us.

"No way." Roman voiced out.

"You feel that too?"

"Yeah... The vibration, it's dull but- but it's everywhere."

Well, I didn't feel any vibration the day I came here with Ethan... But I did feel that addictive warmth, or maybe it was the sun at the Inc- more like, dimension?

The vibration sharpened and then it became unbearable to even listen to.

On reflex, my hands flew to cover my ears and so did Roman's to his.

"Maybe we're using the wrong method?" Roman yelled over the deafening sound, with his eyes squinted.

"No... Look ahead!" I yelled back as a bright light began to tear open, right in front of us.

Roman's eyes flew open, as he took in the sight in front of him.

The white blue light tore into the space of what looked like a portal. We were unable to see through to the other side because it was so bright.

My breathing became harsh, awestruck by the portal in front of me. Roman had been right... This was indeed a portal to another dimension. This was real, and it was really happening.

The vibration lessened, and the air around us became cooler.

I stood up straighter, as my eyes adjusted to the brightness erupting from the portal.

"You didn't tell me it would be this beautiful." Roman said, staring at the portal in awe.

My heart raced hard against my chest. "That's because I didn't see it before. I was blindfolded."

"Oh, that explains it." He said. "Ladies first?"

I shot him a sharp look. "Seriously? Can you be more of a gentleman right now?"

He shrugged. "Felt like the right thing to say?"

I rolled my eyes, looking back at the portal. "We go in together." I said.

He nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

Yeah it does, a plan I was so going to enjoy.

I cracked my knuckles. "Okay then... On the count of Three?"

"Yeah." He gulped down. "One." He started counting.

I blew out a breath of agitation, fear, worry and maybe even... Excitement?

"Two." I voiced out this time.

My heart hammered against my chest as I waited for him to complete the count.

This was it, it was finally happening. There was the Inc, right in front of us... There was Ethan's sector, just across the portal.

It was time to put an end to this Inc once and for all... Even if it seemed far too surreal? Even if it felt as if we were only fooling ourselves... Even if this was starting to look like a bad idea to me, I was going to pull through with it.

If this was what it took to free Ethan and every other poor soul from the evil clutches of this inc... then so be it... I'll never ever back out.

Ever.

"Three!"

__

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