Chapter 2

My thoughts are a mess as I enter the familiar golden tunnel and am seized by the golden light that is to transform me. I have no idea what has just happened and what I am doing here for the life of me. I haven't touched the stone or done anything else.

My heart is pounding incredibly fast in my chest, and my hands shake as I look at them. Golden light spreads from my fingertips all over my body, and I can't hold back a happy sigh as the familiar feeling of wings takes hold of me, emerging on my back.

A happy and excited smile spreads across my face as I realize what is happening. I turn into an elf and am on my way to Centopia. But it is replaced by a scream as the golden tunnel spits me out, and I fall into the depths. The ground gets closer and closer, and panic seizes me. This could be unpleasant.

Too late, I remember that I have wings, as I already make acquaintance with the hard ground. A pain-filled groan escapes me, and I remain stretched out and on my stomach on the ground.

So painful I had not remembered that at all. A grin creeps onto my lips as I remember that I used to land like this. Hopefully, no one here saw that.

After a minute, I decide to stand up. I struggle into a sitting position and close my eyes for now as a wave of dizziness hits me. Oh man, I must have come up harder than I thought. After the dizziness has subsided, I cautiously open my eyes and then tear them open for the first time when I can perceive my surroundings.

Horror and disbelief spread through me. No, this is not Centopia. At least not the one I remember. I have landed in the middle of a forest, but all that is left of it are withered and bare trees. I am sitting on the hard earth; not a blade of grass is to be seen anymore, not a flower and no animals. It is silent, and the familiar scent of flowers that always hung in the air has been replaced by a smell of scorched earth and old wood.

What happened here, please? Fear spreads through me as I realize that something must have happened here. Something bad.

Within a second, I'm on my feet and looking around alertly. Only now do I realize that I am entirely defenseless. I have nothing with which to defend myself if something should attack me. Let alone that I have no idea what this something could be. I only know one thing: I need to get out of here and find someone who can help me and tell me what happened to Centopia.

Uncertainly, I turn my head and gasp in surprise at the sight of my wings. They are much larger and glisten. I look down at myself for the first time and notice that I look completely different. My pink dress, which was already relatively short then, is slightly shorter and light pink with glitter. It accentuates my curves in all the right places and looks elegant. My purple hair is open and falls in waves to my waist. They shine and glitter in the light, and small highlights can be found in them. Many bangles shine on my wrist, where the magic bangle is not to be found. The biggest surprise is that I'm not wearing shoes. I just have pink ribbons on both ankles.

I stand there with my mouth open because I can't believe how much I've changed. Well, seven years have passed since I was last here.

Immediately I ask myself if anyone will ever recognize me like this. A bitter taste spreads in my mouth as I realize that it could be that everyone has already forgotten me. I haven't been here in so long, and everyone has moved on with their lives, probably including Mo and Yuko.

At the next thought, the fear I already have because of this mysterious place is worse. What if they don't see me anymore or don't want me here? I've been gone so long I probably couldn't even blame them. I disappeared without explanation and suddenly reappeared after seven years, wholly changed.

What if they are dead? I don't know where this thought comes from now, but immediately everything inside me tightens. No, that can't be. But I know that I have no idea what has happened here and to them in the last few years. And from the looks of this, something terrible has happened.

Tears well up in my eyes at this painful and somehow disturbing thought as I realize all that could have happened. Even though I haven't seen them in so long, their deaths would probably destroy me. Because I never stopped loving Mo and Yuko.

My thoughts are interrupted when a sudden crack behind me, and I whirl around. Adrenaline races through my veins, and my heart beats at what feels like double speed. Didn't I want to get out of here to escape just such a situation?

I know that it would probably be better to take my legs in my hands and run, but instead, I search the surroundings. Maybe I'll get some answers now, although I don't know yet if that would be such a good thing. But there is nothing to be seen except bare trees.

At that moment, a voice sounds above me, causing my heart to stop. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

An idea who it is? :)