3: Whispers of Parallel Realms

Trivan's POV

Bold = flashbacks

italic = thoughts

"What's going on with those two?" I lagged. Amara and Sasha were deep in conversation, giggling about various things as we wandered down the sidewalk with no particular destination. "Do you even know where we're headed?" I sighed.

Their attention shifted my way; Sasha appeared annoyed by the interruption. "Honestly, no," Amara admitted, "Wherever we end up, we might find my mother."

I'd give anything to be in Sasha's shoes—such an outgoing boy, drawing Amara in effortlessly. Moments like these make me wish I could disappear, and if I did... would anyone even notice? I glanced back at the cold pavement, suppressing the urge to pour my heart out. I can't afford to break down; I have to stay strong for my younger brother, Sasha.

The day our mother took her last breath is etched into my memory. There was something about that day that warned me to stay in bed. Something that called my name and still does.

"Trivan, take care of Sasha, okay?" Mother pleaded, "You know how he is, and my job is on the line."

She left twenty dollars on the counter and said her goodbyes. Mother was very ill, coughing and sneezing constantly; her ebony curly hair was thinner than usual. The thought of her boss mistreating her infuriated me. A few hours later, Mother stumbled home, her complexion pale.

"Mother!" I cried. She was hardly breathing, and before I knew it... she was gone.

"Triv? What's with all that noise?" Sasha innocently asked, rushing out of his room.

I stood in front of her so he wouldn't notice what had become of our mother. However, my eyesight is poor, and he saw... our mother.

"Triv!" Sasha groaned while tugging my hair, and Amara tilted her head, glaring at me.

"Are you ill?" She asked, squeezing my face.

After I nodded, they resumed their conversation. It was as if... my presence didn't matter. No, I won't let my heart shatter on this journey. I won't condemn it; I must push through the darkness. We're not here for a sob story; we're here to find traces of Amara's mother.

"Amara, I'm hungry," Sasha pouted.

He was getting on my nerves; I'd rather not see him act so soft with a girl we hardly know.

When I glanced at Amara, her face was pale, and not a word escaped her mouth as she stared into the darkness. As if she sensed something or... someone, she quickly glanced back at us, grabbed us, and hurried us into a nearby alley.

"Amara! What the heck!" I grumbled.

That's when I heard footsteps echoing through the sidewalk, each one a spectral whisper that sent shivers down my spine. Sasha trembled and cuddled up next to Amara—a courageous boy, right? I have to show them that I am more than a taciturn human being.

So I bolted out of the alley, my brother's cries drilling into my skull, but I couldn't turn back now. I need them to see me, Trivan, as a warrior. I will fight for Sasha and find Amara's mother. Today will not be the day of our death. The masked figure glared at me, their face perplexed as I pounced on them, not letting them escape.

"Get off me, you twit!" a female voice hollered.

Amara, full of tears, rushed out of the alley to check if I was alright. "Trivan! Do you want to die young?" Amara cried out.

My heart focused on Amara; I had no clue that my grip on the masked figure had loosened. There was a pain in my stomach, then everything went black.

Amara's POV

Why is Trivan lying on the floor? Is he alive?

I immediately checked his pulse. Clouds of relief wash over me. The masked figure looks down at me with horror in their eyes. I stay on the floor next to Trivan, puzzled. The figure tilts their head as if trying to get a glimpse of me.

"Amara?" The female voice echoes.

She takes off her hood—a girl with a rather eccentric appearance, around my age, fifteen. How does she know my name?

"Listen, Amara, I know why you and your friends are here," she leans in, whispering into my ears, "If you ever want to see her again, you have to enter the parallel realms."

"What on earth are the parallel realms?" I ask, intrigued now.

Not only will I find my mother, but she will forever adore me when we rescue her from the unknown realms.

The girl snickers sinisterly, "Such a thing for a girl like you to enjoy this journey when your mother's life is at risk. Amara, this is not a game of chess; it ain't easy." She continues to snicker.

Out of the blue, Sasha runs at the girl with my moldy tuna sandwiches and tosses them at her. The girl dives onto the floor, munching the sandwiches with greed. She doesn't seem like a regular girl at all.

"I like this kid," she says while brushing Sasha's hair. "You know what! You guys seem cool; I would love to follow you on this journey!" the girl interjects.

Trivan's eyelids lift gradually. "It's her!" Trivan screeches at the top of his lungs, and the girl poofs beside him, glaring at him with fury.

"Is this the jester you are friends with? Amara?" the girl's voice starts to sound irritated.

I look down at the floor; Trivan is not a jester. Sure, he's a goofball for running at a stranger, but it doesn't make him a jester. "That's beside the point; how exactly can we find this realm?" I ponder. The girl's eyes flutter, and her gaze seems to drift into an otherworldly trance. Her skin goes swarthy, and she suddenly looks rather ill. "Could I have a strand of your hair?" the girl's voice echoes.

Without hesitation, I pluck a strand of my hair and hand it to her. The girl then spits a silver liquid onto my strand of hair, lays it on the floor, and rapidly begins chanting under her breath. The cold pavement erupts as a portal stands before us, a shimmering threshold between two conflicted worlds.

"This is the portal to the parallel realms," she giggles while wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

Where did she even get that from? Only the realms know where.

"You can't possibly think I would enter that portal!" Trivan complains," Am I the only sane person here? This girl we don't even know spat on the floor, hoping we enter; perhaps the valley of death!"

"Quit being a baby," the girl growls as she pushes Trivan into the portal.

I grab her arm, "Are you crazy?" I yell.

She just chuckles and dives into the portal after Trivan. I slowly turn my head to face Sasha, sweat dripping from head to toe.

"Come here, you little!" Sasha exclaims as he holds me in his arms and jumps into the portal of the parallel realms.