TSP Draft Three - Ch3

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/draft-three-of-the-secret-portal

Read-aloud, pt1: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaylinrosealexander/video/7187034325077003566?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7168171927235937835

Previous: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/tsp-draft-three-ch2

I have highlighted text exclusive to the first version of this draft and underlined text exclusive to the second version.

Chapter Three

Date: November 22nd, 2024 Time: 1:32

Place: Endless Field

Alexia

Rainbows Can Be Dangerous

I stared at the spot where Aurora was standing. The rock was still there, and a few feet away was her backpack, but Aurora herself was nowhere to be found.

I put set down my backpack and violin and crept forward. I looked at the rock. It looked metal. I got out my metal detector just to check. Yup! Definitely metal. Then I thought of a crazy thought. [paragraph break] What if the rock was a portal? [paragraph break] I knew it was impossible, but it was the only explanation to why Aurora disappeared. If it was a portal, what was on the other end? Air? No air?

Well, whatever was behind it, I knew I had to go. Aurora was in danger. Possibly. Actually, I don’t know. It might be Band Land over there with all the boys you can crush on.

I slowly crawled away from the portal and shuddered at that thought. Band Land would be anyone who wasn’t in band’s nightmare. Band is just noise to me, so Band Land must be torture.

I shook the thought away. That was a stupid thought. Maybe this was a dream. Well, usually in dreams you don’t think they are dreams, but I actually did have a dream inside a dream, and I knew I was dreaming then, but in the dream, the edges around my vision were a little foggy, and I could see perfectly fine here. Well, except for the fact I wear glasses. Without them, I can’t see worth crap.

I crawled back to the rock. Last year, we learned metals rusted after rain. And it was super rainy this year. So, why was it shiny?

This was frying my pour brain.

Despite whatever was behind there, there was still a chance Aurora could be in trouble.

Without thinking, I reached out my hand and touched the rock.

All of a sudden, I was falling through rainbows--yes, rainbows--and tumbling again and again. After what felt like forever, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I fell through the tunnel and then everything went black.

I watched as the field dissolved around me. It soon seemed like all the color didn’t matter anymore, and soon, rainbows were all around me.

I stood up and looked around. The field was gone. Rainbows were in its place.

I looked at my feet and saw that the field hadn’t disappeared completely. I was standing on the only patch of grass above a long tunnel.

A tunnel that was going down.

“Oh, crap,” I said as the grass disappeared.

I hovered in the air for a moment, then I started falling.

Then the millions of color all came together in a blackness.

**********

When I opened my eyes, I was immediately blinded. OK, not literally, but it was pretty bright. I stood up and looked at my surroundings. I was surrounded by clouds--yes, clouds. I saw some houses in the distance. The sun was reflecting on them. THAT’S what was so bright! I started to walk forward, but I didn’t get very far when I tripped over something.

I fell into the clouds and got some puff up my nose. I felt like my head was going to explode. You know that feeling when water gets up your nose and it kind of burns? Well, that’s how it felt with the cloud, only the puffy stuff was making it worse. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Alexia, you can’t walk on clouds! They aren’t solid enough! Yes, I know that, which was freaking me out!

I looked to see what had tripped me. It was a mirror! Now, if you don’t remember a mirror, go back to chapter one!

OK, the mirror belonged to Aurora. That means she was here! Well, it’s up to me to find her!. It looked like the one Aurora brought to school. I turned it over and read the inscription.

To my friend, Aurora Jane Hathaway.

May you look in this mirror and see your pretty face.

-Kevin

P.S. No need to thank me.

I rolled my eyes. Kevin was Aurora’s crush. The mirror was actually from a group of band kids who put this together for her, so she would think Kevin gave it to her. I only know this because Andy told me. Apparently, Kevin never knew about this. And Aurora didn’t know Kevin didn’t give it to her. (But I think she does, but won’t say anything and is just playing along.)

I ran to the nearest house. As I got closer, I realized the houses were made out of gold. I don’t know if it was actual gold or not, but it looked real. But what do I know? I stepped up to the door and raised my fist to knock.

My hand was literally a millimeter away from the door when I stopped. Come on Alexia! Why are you going to knock on a random door! You’re a teenager now! I sighed. I had to find Aurora. Without thinking (you will soon notice I say that a lot) I knocked on the door.

A young girl opened the door. She was a teenager. As far as I could tell, she was 15. She smiled. “Hello! My name is Carla Baxter! Please, how may I help you?”

I wasn’t sure if I should trust this girl. But I did. “Hi,” I said. “My name is Alexia. I’m looking for my friend Aurora. She has dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a lot of freckles. Oh! And big, blue glasses.” I paused. “Have you seen her?”

Carla nodded. “Yes. She went that way.” She pointed toward a bunch of trees. “Thanks!” I called as I ran the way she pointed.

As I got closer, I could tell the group of trees was more like a forest. I have to say, this place was weirder than any other place I had been to. “Aurora!” I called. No answer. I ran a little farther and called her name again. Still no answer. I couldn’t find her anywhere I looked, and she wasn’t answering to me. So she either didn’t hear me, couldn’t answer me, or wasn’t here at all. I thought I would never find her, when I heard a creaking sound and someone groaning. I turned around and ran the direction I heard it. It wasn’t long before I found Aurora. That’s the good news! The bad news is that she was hanging upside down by these really weird vines and all the color was drained from her face.

“Ohmygosh!” I screamed. “How did this happen?”

Aurora had already passed out and didn’t answer. As quickly as I could, I untied the vines from Aurora’s ankles. She crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll. I picked her off the ground and wrapped her arm around my shoulder and tried my hardest to walk back to the town. I heard a quiet sssssss and turned around.

The vines that Aurora had been caught in were starting to grow. And when I say grow, I mean started to reach out towards us. I now understand how Aurora got tangled.

That’s when things got worse.

RRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!

I looked up and saw something I never thought I’d ever see.

I picked Aurora up. “Run!” I screamed.

Her blue eyes flew open. “From what?”

I turned her around. “That!” I said, pointing.

Aurora gulped and said the exact same thing I was thinking.

“DRAAAAAAAAGOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I'm just gonna say that the mirror thing being a prank that wasn't actually from Aurora's crush is very mean. I don't know why I decided to include that. It's unnecessary information. I don't know why I added the paragraph about Band Land in the second version, but I do prefer most of the version two changes except the ones I already mentioned.

This is better than Draft Two by quite a bit, since I ended up describing more and was less over-the-top.

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