They were suspicious. Of course they would be. She had been hiding in her old room for the last couple of evenings. They had asked her about it, but she had not been able to answer them. They would be against it. Though her husband loved her, he would not be able to understand. As would Timmy. He had the greatest passion for Alchemy, but was a mess lately. He would try to stop her too.
But that wouldn't stop her. No, she had come this far. She was merely seconds away from success. Taking a piece of chalk, she shoved the table away, creating more room. She knelt on the floor and started drawing.
First the five feet wide circle. Then the triangles, squares and runes. She drew the lines with years of practised work and perfection. Yes, her work had to be perfect. One mistake and it could be her end. But that was Alchemy's risk. Everybody knew that.
Seeing the drawing was done, she stood up and admired it, while checking all her data in her notebook.
She smiled. It would all be okay. After she finished this, those monsters wouldn't be trouble anymore. She wouldn't have to worry about them any more. No more Alchemy, no more Equivalent Exchange. No more images or voices. No more.
From today on, she would be able to escape this world.
Kneeling besides the circle, she threw her notebook away and gripped her necklace. This was it. May Fate be with me, sounded through her thoughts. She then proceeded to clap her hands and touched the circle. That warm, strengthening feeling of power overtook her body and her fingers twitched to do more, but she held back.
The familiar blue sparks of an alchemic process surrounded her, but didn't touch her. She ignored them and suddenly got nervous. Trembling, she looked up, towards the portal that slowly opened. Relief washed over her face. She saw a road, surrounded by grasslands and trees.
But then something moved. A horrible feeling filled her chest. Something was wrong. A black hand gripped the edge of the portal. Her eyes widened. She had to close the portal. She had to close it!
That night, her small town was waken by a horrifying scream.