The World Outside

It didn't take long for that peace and optimism to be interrupted. Meike hammered against the bathroom door, her intent clear even if I didn't understand her words.

"Beeilung!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, and for a moment, in the safety of the bathroom, rolled my eyes, before I emerged.

Nela looked stunning. Meike had braided her hair together with freshly bloomed, pink flowers, and I could see the metallic glint of a few hair rings in there as well. Her ears were adorned with more jewelry, as her ears now had golden cuffs on the tips, while long earrings dangled and framed her face. Her lashes looked longer, her eyes bigger than yesterday. Makeup, surely, even though I didn't understand how that worked.

But apparently, I was staring too much, as Nela blushed as she twirled around.

"Wat denkst du?" she asked.

My mind was blank. Surely, she was asking my opinion, but what could I say? Instead, my body took over, and I gave her a thumbs-up. For a moment, the gesture hung between us, before Nela broke the silence with a laugh.

"Danke!" She made the heart emote, and I mirrored her, my face burning hot.

I didn't know much about girls, but surely there were only a few worse reactions than giving her a thumbs-up when asked about her outfit, right? At least she didn't seem to mind it much. But before I could clear up that possible misunderstanding, Meike rudely interrupted us once more.

"Wi mööt los," she said, glaring at me as if it was my fault we were still here. "Prinzessin, dat föhrt."

"Ik weet, Meike," Nela sighed.

Then, she waved at me to follow them. At once, I was filled with both fear and excitement. Where were we going? I had been ready to spend another day with gaming exclusively, but exploring the castle—or city, or whatever else it was—seemed fun as well. Maybe there was a market, or something?

But as Nela stepped out of her room, something in her demeanor changed. It was as if she had become a different person—serious and regal, with each step carefully choreographed. I froze for a moment, unsure of what was happening. The confusion was apparently clear on my face, as Nela repeated the gesture, waving for me. Meike's glare I could tune out, thankfully.

Still unsure, I made my way over to her. Suddenly, I felt watched—and maybe that was indeed the case. I could see other people, with the same long ears as Nela and Meike, standing or walking around the halls. Some of them were doing a good job pretending not to stare, while others were outright gawking at us. Or me, specifically. I ruffled a hand through my hair, trying to hide my ears. That was the problem, was it? They probably had never seen someone like me. It didn't seem like there were any others from Earth here.

I glanced at Nela. Why had she summoned me? I was very glad for that fact, and I enjoyed her company immensely. But before the summoning, we were internet strangers, without a name or face for the other person. That was strange, wasn't it? Or even desperate. Even now, I felt like Nela was forcing herself forward, even though she was wearing that soft, professional smile like a mask.

She didn't even show her worry for me outright. I could feel it, though—under her careful role was the Nela I knew, bright and cheerful and at the moment, pretty worried for me. I smiled at her.

I wanted to take her hand and reassure her. This was weird, but with her by my side, I could endure it without problems. But I didn't. I couldn't—not with out language barrier. And here, I surely wouldn't try and emote at her—not when she looked like she was in "work mode". So I simply stayed by her side, and tried not to worry her too much. To do so, I focused my attention elsewhere.

The architecture around us was different from what I knew back home. The halls were made from stone, with each block textured and weather-worn. They had different colors, ranging from a light gray to coral and even green and yellow hues. The ceilings above us were three or four times taller than I was, and there were intricate patterns painted on them, reminding me of how the water's surface looked like when you were diving. Not that I personally had ever dived, of course. But I had seen an ocean documentary once or twice in my life.

The people around us had colorful hair, just like Nela and Meike, though I couldn't see many with horns like Meike. I was the only one with black hair, and stood out that way. Once more I went through my hair, but of course, there was no way that it could look good. I was long overdue for a hairdresser appointment.

Most people, thankfully, went on with their everyday life—chatting in low tones, running errands, or simply enjoying the sunlight on their skin. There were children running and yelling, just like there were old people resting on benches and tall stairs, watching their surroundings carefully. But no matter where we went, the three of us drew attention. I was just happy I had showered and wore a fresh set of clothes. Otherwise this might have been really embarrassing, even more so than I already felt.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the deep, metallic sound of giant bells reverberating.

"Beeilung," Meike said, once more.

We went faster, even though I couldn't say where we went or how much longer it would take. But I could tell something around us changed. Here, the wall and ceiling paintings were more intricate, incorporating gold and silver inlays, and even the breezy curtains looked more expensive. The people here were dressed closer to Nela than to me, and there were fewer of them. Some hid their disdain, but most of them looked at me with a hate in the eyes rivaled only by Meike. But, thanks to her, I was getting better at ignoring them, though I was sure that everyone could still see how uncomfortable I was.

This isn't good, I thought. I don't know where we're going or what we're doing, and I've never met these people, but they seem to dislike me. Not a great first impression I'm making, huh?

And it only made the knot of dread in my stomach coil and twist tighter. Nela herself looked even less like herself, as if she had put on a set of armor, with no one being able to touch or get through her. She held herself perfectly, with no flaw in her posture, with every step as fast and as graceful as needed, while I stumbled beside her trying to keep up. Her eyes still sparkled, but there was a certain apprehension in them.

We slowed down in front of a giant, white door, with golden handles. Nela took a deep breath. I felt like I was going to puke.

What would await us behind that door?