I was sitting in my backyard, under the same cherry-blossom tree that I had been beside when I got transported to Alyncia. I carefully stood up and gazed around. My garden looked the same; nothing seemed to have changed. The flowers were still just as beautiful as when I'd left and the old swing was still sitting in its place at the very back. I glanced towards my house. The lights were on and I could see the silhouette of a person standing in the kitchen. I slowly walked up to the sliding back-doors and slid them open. My Mom was standing by the countertop, chopping vegetables. "Hi, Mom," I said. For some reason my voice was shaking, and I frowned. Mom turned and smiled. "Hello, Westlyn. Did you have fun in the garden? Well anyway you can go and chill in your room until dinner's ready. I'll call you down soon." I didn't move. Mom opened her mouth to say something, but I suddenly went up and hugged her tight. A surprised look crossed her face. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't know you were so cuddly, Westlyn." I smiled. "Thanks for everything. I'm so glad that your my Mom." She smiled and quickly hugged me back. Then I left the kitchen and ran upstairs.
I opened the door to my bedroom and stopped. Mae was sitting on my bed. She looked up and smiled at me. "West, I came in here to talk. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for forcing you to go on that trip to England. I know I act selfish sometimes, and I should have listened to what you wanted. I know that Timecrest is important to you, so next time I'll make sure to ask you before sending you off like that." "Thank you, and I don't blame you for what you did. I can be very stubborn, and I know you just wanted the best for me." I said. We smiled at each other and just like that, we were besties again.
The next day I texted Airell and asked him for his home address. I invited Felice along too and soon we were all sitting on the big sofa in Airell's living room. There was an awkward silence between us, and we all burst out laughing. "It's so good to see you," I told my friends. "Yeah, but that was weird. I guess we're finding it kind of strange sitting down like this, since we have never talked outside of school before," Felice said with sparkling eyes. I grinned. I felt delighted to be with my friends again, and as we went on chatting I found myself opening up to them. At last I told them in full, my crazy adventure in Alyncia. "You mean to say that a person who is not supposed to exist in real life, teleported you to a different world that is also not supposed to exist?" Airell asked disbelievingly. "I know it sounds crazy and like I imagined it all, but trust me. I have not gone insane yet." We all smiled. Then I began telling my friends about Team 13 and about the adventure I had had with them. "They sound like the dream friends," Felice said. "You guys are my dream friends, but I do wish I could have stayed friends with them, too," I said sadly. Airell had been staring at me with a thoughtful expression on his face for some time now. I asked him what he was thinking about. He shrugged. "It's just that, you've changed, Westlyn. You used to be scared of being bullied. You never wanted to hang out with us like this, but now you look more confident than I've ever seen you." I frowned. "I guess after finding out that I could use powerful fire magic, I realised that those bullies are no match for me." Airell and Felice's eyes widened. "Wait, you can cast magic?" Felice asked in astonishment, since I hadn't told them about my amazing abilities yet. "Yeah." I told them how I had used the magic to defend myself and my team-mates several times and how I had used it to escape from Ignis. They looked worried when I described the terrible injuries that I had received from the x Master of Fire. "Is that why you have those scars?" Felice asked looking at my shoulders. I nodded. "Trust me, I was scared stiff when that guy suddenly grabbed me and dragged me into that alley. I thought that I was for sure going to be robbed or worse." "Well, I'm so glad that you weren't mortally injured. We wouldn't be the Thrilling Three without you." I blinked at Airell. "What, is that our team name now?" His face lit up. "Totally!"
Later that day I was sitting in my room, day-dreaming about the team I had left behind in Alyncia. What would they be doing now? Probably going on another adventure together. I felt sadness flow over me. Would they even remember who I was, or had they forgotten about me already? I wondered if the little boy I had saved from the basilisk, Kyle, remembered me or if the nice guy from the cafe, Gradin, remembered me either. Would they just continue on with their lives and never give me another thought? I stared down at my hands and recalled the defiant feeling I had gotten when I defeated an enemy using my magic. I had saved Ash with that magic. I thought about Ash and the way that he supported me. I would never feel that again.
Suddenly my phone buzzed. I glanced at it and blinked. I scooped it up and opened the notification that had just popped up on my screen. Then, I felt a wave of joy wash over me. I read the Timecrest messages that were swiftly appearing on my phone. "Hi Westlyn, it's Ash. My team and I miss you loads. We are back at the guild right now, and I am sitting in my room. How are you?"