Hey guys! I was actually able to get this in! YAY! I honestly think you guys will love this. But first... reviews!

Paris: It's ok if you're busy. We all get busy from time to time. I'm busy right now so it was rather hard for me to actually write this and get it uploaded. Of course I recommended your story- I love it! HAPPY NEW YEAR! *falls back into two different chants of Sophitz and Foster-Keefe*

Bookwyrm: It's a talent I've learned to control over the years. Maybe I could "teach" you someday. That trick Jist used probably would've worked for me too. And, actually, we've met 6, plus background characters (very few background characters) and now 8 characters... kind of. You no longer have to wait! Here's chapter 7! And thanks. It took me over 2 hours to draw it, color it to look good and actually get the framing on this site right for it.

I've rambled on for long enough. You deserve to read this now. *throws confetti at you and snaps fingers to make the chapter appear*


It was dark on the inside of the tent; almost an eerie, inky blackness. There were a few doors to the sides of the corridor the trio walked through, light seeping from slits under the doors. Carden stayed in front of Carmen and Jist, acting as if he were their tour guide.

"Why is it so dark?" Carmen asked softly, almost bumping into Jist as she spoke and shuffled her feet along with the other two.

"Beats me," he answered in the same, low tone. "I think it's always been like this."

"Doesn't that make it a little hard for the others coming for one of these readings to see where they're supposed to go?"

"Only for those who haven't learned how to control night vision," Jist said.

"That's an option?" Carmen's mind was still overflowing with questions about how the elves worked, what exactly was going on. She was entirely sure that she was going to explode if Jist gave her another vague answer.

Carmen heard Jist sigh, sounding a little bit... amused?

"You certainly have a lot of questions," he finally said.

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" Carmen asked, lowering her head so her hair would fall around her face in a curtain. "'Sides, you've taken me to a place I've only ever heard of, and it's completely different than what I've imagined it would be like. I also didn't know about this elf race that I'm apparently part of."

"I suppose. And yes, night vision is an option, but that small ability is something you learn in Exillium."

"Exillium?" Carmen asked, her curiosity finally spilling over. "What's that?"

"I had a feeling you'd be asking about that," Jist sighed. "Just try to focus on what we're here for."

Carmen stopped her questions. "Okay."

"Just through here," Carden whispered. "It's okay, Carmen."

Carmen hadn't heard his voice in only a few minutes and yet she jumped a little when his soft voice echoed through the corridor. She lifted her head and glanced at Carden before she looked at the door. Then she looked back at Carden, her stomach becoming light and jittery, her tongue seemingly not operating properly, and her feet glued to the floor. Jist gave her a little nudge, his expression seeming to say, "It's okay. I'm right here."

Carden gave a single nod, then tilted his head towards the door. He gave her that reassuring smile again. Carmen's feet detached from the floor and moved, step by step. She gulped as Carden slowly pulled open the door and a bright, white light enveloped the trio.


"I want to show you something. But, I might want to warn you: it's a little shocking to physically see."

"I think I'll be able to handle it."

The man sighed. "Alright."

A light flickered against the wall, then became a rectangular screen. The sound crackled a little bit before it stabilized itself, and the quality of the view was poor. When people began talking, the view cleared up, showing a darkened hallway with three figures.

"...it's always been like this."

"Doesn't that make it a little hard for the others coming for one of these readings to see where they're supposed to go?"

The young person who gazed at the screen leaned closer, trying to capture a better look at who she was watching.

"That's an option?"

The taller figure in the corridor sighed. "You certainly have a lot of questions."

"She sounds like… me," the girl said to the silhouetted man.

The man chuckled. "Yes. Especially when I first met you."

The girl rolled her eyes and looked back to the screen. The view had gotten closer, revealing that both girls seemed to be about the same age, and the boy next to the girl was similar to someone that the girl watching knew.

"...lso didn't know about this elf race that I'm apparently part of."

"I suppose. And yes, night vision is an option, but that small ability is something you learn in Exillium."

The girl gasped. "Exillium?"

The man only nodded.

"Where is this?"

"Finish watching. Maybe you'll learn more."

The girl reluctantly turned back to the screen.

"...ay."

"Just through here. It's okay, Carmen."

Carmen looked stuck, unable to move. She looked around the hall, looking at the boy, then the man. The man pulled on the door, a bright, white light leaking through into the corridor, enveloping the trio as they walked through.

Then the screen flickered off, leaving the girl deep in thought.

"Given all you've already seen and done since you've arrived to live in the Lost Cities, I'm certain that this is something that won't stay completely shocking to you. Of course, I could be wrong, but you definitely have a knack for figuring things out," the man said. "Our most advanced Technopaths have recently discovered a sort of strange activity in the universe. They found…" the man trailed off, unsure if he was about to use the correct words for his explanation.

But in the girl's head it had already clicked into place. "You mean… they found an alternate reality?"

The man hesitated. "Yes."

The girl's head began to spin. That Carmen girl did remind her a lot of herself, and that teenage looking boy did remind her of a close friend of hers. Carmen asked questions, seemed awfully shy around the other two people, and all her features that the girl had seen was exactly the same as to her own: long blonde-ish hair, irregular eyes compared to elves, and human clothes that indicated she was going through what she herself had long ago. Her mind starting to fill up with more questions that no one would know the answers to yet. But there was one that called to be released and asked much louder than any of the other questions that swam around and around.

"There's another me?"


Tada! A twist. I'm 100% sure you know who this girl is- and possibly the man. And still...

GO CHECK OUT:

Double Trouble by my good friend Paris (KOTLC 1 Fan)

Payback's a Nightmare by Xylia Neo

Found by Saphara

The Matchmakers by twinkletoestbh

Lodestar: KOTLC fanfic versionby strawbr'yblond periwinkle love

Kay? We good? Good. Have fun reading those if you haven't already, and please leave a review! I hope this is good enough to fill you guys with words that refer themselves to KOTLC. Hang in there while I'm gone, guys! Sorry, but I'm gone again.

*breeze suddenly blows around author's figure. the figure fades away, seemingly following the leaves that blew with the wind*