Liza runs to the tree seeing the black ooze cover part of the bark at the base. Tentative fingers reach out as she touches it. The moment her fingers make contact with the trees infection her vision goes black and all she sees is herself. She looks like me but she isn't me. Her eyes are blood red not brown. Its her. Her vision returns and a scowl grows on her face.
"She is out." Liza spits out.
"She who?" Jack asks.
"My doppelganger." Liza is now looking at the ground stressed. How did she get out? Why did she get out? How do I stop her?
"Doppelganger? You have one?" Jack is bewildered.
"Everyone does. This world has a twin of its own so to speak. In order to keep the balance Otherland was created. Some how she got out. and telling by the ooze she is powerful. I need to know what she was doing before she escaped. I need to ask Pitch..." she trails off not realizing she was thinking aloud.
"Pitch?!" Bunny, Jack, and North shout in unison. She jumps startled and rubs the back of her neck.
"The Otherland Pitch, not our world Pitch. Those in Otherland are the opposites of those in our world. The Pitch in Otherland is actually benevolent. Understand?" She smiles nervously. Get ready to be yelled at.
"I get it. Lets go talk to him." Jack says with the others nodding.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Liza asks shocked. No yelling?
"Sheilla. We got a job. If this Otherland Pitch knows something it's worth a try." Bunny says confident and calm.
"I agree with the kangaroo. Besides what kind of friend would I be if I let you go to the ultimate place of darkness alone." Jack says smiling.
"I could use good fight." North brushes off his willingness to help.
"No! If you hurt anyone in the other world you hurt their double in our world. There are rules you have to follow if you want to go with me." Liza says fearful of the possibilities of a fight.
"How many rules?" Jack asks.
"Just three"
"One being no hurting people I am guessing."
"Actually rule one is don't interact with anyone at all. No talking and NO fighting. Rule two is do not consume anything without confirmation. Otherwise you will probably lose your entire memory with no way to get it back. Three do not touch anything without first asking me. Most items will either kill you or give you an itchy rash in the same way poison ivy does."
"Confirmation? Most? Probably?"
"Some items are safe in such case I will tell you but being that we are not of Otherland most things will reject us."
"Have you been there before?"
"Every summer solstice."
"Why?"
"To check in on how things are."
"I understand." With the conversation over Liza walks to one of the cave walls and holds her hand up. Black lightning flows from her hand and crawls around on the wall revealing a thick mahogany door with an obsidian knob. Liza looks to the others briefly before grasping the knob and pulling the door open. She steps through the doorway followed closely by the others. They walk into a forest, the moon shining bright. North shivers seeing the crimson moonbeams.
"Why is moon red?"
"It indicates we are in Otherland. Everyones eyes are red as well. Don't be alarmed." Liza says calmly.
"Lead way to Pitch." North says bluntly. Liza freezes. How will we get there? Those two can't fly and Bunny's tunnels are hazardous here. Wouldn't want to run into his doppelganger. Liza's thoughts are interrupted by whinnying. She looks up to see a pair Nightmares flying overhead. She smiles and whistles drawing them near.
"Hey. Raven. Midnight. Come here." As the black sand horses approach she puts her hands up and rubs gentle circles on their snouts. "Good girls." Her praise comes out in a honey sweet tone. "Could you help me?" The mares whinny in compliance "These two can't fly could you give them a ride to Pitch?" They whinny as if saying sure. "Thank you sweeties." Liza focuses on Midnight petting her snout and stares into her ruby eyes. "North come here." Her tone is calm and North complies. She grabs his hand and replaces hers on Midnight's snout. Midnight warms to him. "Very good." She now rubs Raven's snout. "Bunny come here" He walks to her and copies North's actions. "Very good now you two get on and we will fly to Pitch." She backs off and rises into the air. When they mount the mares they all flew off to go find Pitch.
"I never knew they had names." Jack says as they fly.
"These ones do." Liza smiles fondly. "They are just like the horses the queen had. Big ol' love bugs."
"Really?"
"Ya."
"Woah. Thats Pitches place? I thought he lived in a hole in the ground." Jack's tone is astonished as they land in front of a large house with many large windows lights from inside casting a glow on the ground.
"Not this Pitch." Liza smiles and walks up the front steps then knocks on the front door. A few minutes pass before Pitch opens the door and greets her with a warm smile. His eyes quickly flick to her companions. He ushers them all inside.
"Liza. You brought friends." Pitch notices the white haired wonder and smirks, "Oh Jaaack." he says in a sing-song tone "has she told you yet that she thinks-" Liza's eyes widen and she covers his mouth with both hands before he can continue. He is such a butt head, she thinks
"Pitch shut up." She hisses her cheeks scarlet
"Ooh. Liza do you think I am cute?" Jack says teasingly. Does she?
"No." She says all too quick as she thinks so what if I do.
"Oooh you do." Jack says still playing.
"You're as cute as the plague." She says teasingly smiling the whole time.
"Thats cold mate." Bunny laughs.
"Anyways," Liza says collecting herself, "we came here because she got out. I need to know what she was up to before she left."
"She was hanging around the guardians. Whatever she is up to they are a part of it." Pitch says his tone honest and worried.
"Lovely." Her tone is sarcastic.
"They spent a lot of time at the ruins."
"I need to go check them. See if anything was taken."
"Already did. She somehow absorbed the residual energy of the area."
"Thats bad."
"Ya."
"We should get back." North buts into the conversation.
"Care for an express trip?" Pitch offers.
"Yes please. Thank you Pitch." Liza smiles.
"Express trip?" Bunny asks.
"Shadow travel" Pitch explains.
"Oh." Bunny responds.
Pitch summons nightmare sand and wraps it around them. When the sand dissipates they are back in the forest standing under the crimson moon as it is nearing the horizon. Liza summons forth white lightning which causes a alpine door with a golden handle to appear. Smiling at Pitch one more time she opens the door and everyone aside from pitch enter. The door closes itself as they stand by the mystic tree. Liza pinches the bridge of her nose seeing the ooze still on the tree.
"We need to find her. Soon."
"How?" Liza thinks for a moment. Maybe there is something we can try.
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