Angelina

Angelina walked just behind Jen and Chelsea in silence, trying to make sense of the strange memories that had appeared in her head after Lachlan’s friend had fought the monster.

The memories were faint and fading quickly, like a dream she’d just woken up from, but the image of Lachlan’s blood-soaked body was still clear in her mind.

She remembered moving on instinct, turning an impossible direction, and leaving this thin layer of reality for a split second. She’d seen Lachlan’s friend–Sam, she thought his name was–and locked eyes with him for an instant. Then she’d stumbled, tearing through realities like an incandescent meteor plummeting through the atmosphere.

Then, she’d been back where she’d started, standing with the group like nothing had happened.

And Sam had flown down from the sky holding swords.

It kind of wasn’t fair. Why did he get to be the one to hold cool swords and fight monsters?

She turned to look at him walking beside Lachlan. Their eyes met, and she quickly jerked her head back around.

“You remember it too, don’t you?” he said.

She turned around again.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Remember what?” said Lachlan.

“She was there at the beginning of it,” said Sam. “I saw her for a second, and then she disappeared.”

Angelina slowed her pace, falling back to walk beside him and Lachlan.

“You were dead,” she said to Lachlan.

“So I’ve been informed.”

“Do you remember it too?” she said.

“No,” said Lachlan. “All I remember is Samurai here finally living up to his name.”

“Lachlan had a theory that this place was changing me,” said Sam. “I was thinking about it while I was walking through time–“

“While you were walking through what?” said Angelina.

“He was walking through time,” said Lachlan. “Try to keep up.”

“Okay,” she said. “So you were walking through time. As in the concept of time, I guess. Then what?”

“I was thinking about Mrs. Sharma. She can carry those fire axes around like they don’t weigh anything. And when she was fighting that thing and she jumped, it was like she was defying gravity,” said Sam. “She must have been stuck here for months at least. This place changed her. It gave her abilities.”

“Abilities?” said Angelina. “You mean like special powers?”

“No,” said Sam. “‘Special powers’ sounds so juvenile and unscientific. Like it’s just magic or something. There has to be a logical explanation for what’s happening to us.”

“A logical explanation like what?” said Angelina.

“That’s what we’re trying figure out,” said Sam. “Have you noticed anything different since you came to this place? Sharper reflexes, advanced healing? Anything like that?”

“Nothing like that,” said Angelina.

“Hm,” said Sam. “I wonder if anyone else remembers what happened?”

“C doesn’t,” said Angelina. “I already asked. Naomi doesn’t either. She seemed mad that I was asking. I think she didn’t believe me.”

“Interesting,” said Sam.

“So the question is ‘why us’?” said Angelina. “If this place changes people, why isn’t it changing any of the others?”