A/N

Hey everybody, thanks heaps for reviewing! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel

I stare at my reflection in the mirrored wardrobe door, tugging a brush through my tangled hair. I'm clad in a plain black shirt and a random pair of jeans, almost ready for the school day ahead. From the corner of my eye I see my window, completely white; the building swallowed by fog.

Last night was completely and utterly restless. I laid awake in bed, staring at the dull ceiling for hours and hours, replaying yesterday's events in my mind. More specifically, my encounter with a junior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in another dimension. It had to have been some sort of hallucination, surely.

My eyes fixate on the bare inside of my wardrobe, still vacant from my clothes. I step closer, setting my hairbrush onto my dresser as I walk. Slowly, cautiously, I reach into the closet, extending my hand toward the back wall. As soon as my fingertips make contact with the wall, they continue inside the white plaster. My eyes widen. This can't be real.

Tentatively, I continue, my body following my arm. As soon as my head is through, I see darkness. Light seeps in from the crack between the double wardrobe doors. I lose my balance as soon as my entire body is inside the closet, falling forward into the doors. Squeezing my eyes shut just before impact, I brace myself for the pain. My body collides with the doors, and in turn crashes into the body of a boy. Calum.

"What the…?" he gasps, laying crushed beneath my body. A blush creeps onto my cheeks as I scramble off him and onto my feet. Calum stands, wearing only his underwear.

"We have to stop meeting like this," I remark, referring to his barely clothed state. Calum laughs, stepping around me to pull his uniform out of the wardrobe.

"I thought yesterday was a dream," he says as he pulls on the black S.H.I.E.L.D. issue cargo pants.

"Me too."

"So you really are from another universe then."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

An irritating silence fills the room as Calum continues to dress himself.

"Now that you're real, care to give me a tour of your universe?" I ask.

Calum casts me a look of uncertainty.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he responds.

"Why not?"

"As soon as you step foot outside this room, everybody's going to want to know where you came from."

"Yeah, so?"

"Lyla, this is S.H.I.E.L.D. we're talking about. They're going to take you in, run tests on you, do experiments…you won't be able to go back home," Calum explains.

"What?" I gasp. "Why on me? Why not the portal?"

"It's… After you left yesterday, I tried to follow you into the portal, but it didn't work."

"What are you saying?"

"It's you. There's something about you that makes you able to use the portal and no one else."

"Oh," I frown. My left fingers twirl the vintage silver ring on my right ring finger, feeling the fear begin to set in. What if someone comes in here, sees me and reports me?

"Don't worry, Lyla. I'll make sure nothing happens to you," Calum reassures me, enveloping my hand in his.

"Thanks," I say breathily, looking anywhere but into his eyes. My gaze finds the clock and I realise I'm late for school.

"I, uh, have to go," I scramble to find words. I yank my hand out of his and retreat back into the closet. Why must I be so awkward?

As soon as my face is through, I almost fall back into the Marvel Universe. Sitting there on my bed, legs crossed and lips pursed, is my mother.

"Um…" I mumble, avoiding her gaze and locking my stare to the fogged window.

"Don't ever go back there, Lyla," she warns sharply. I'm taken aback by her tone. I've never seen her this serious.

"Why?"

"Just promise me you won't!" I lean back, fear stricken from her raised voice.

Why can't I go back? It seems pretty harmless to me.

"Okay, okay, I promise," I reassure her.

Call me crazy, but I'm going back there to find out what has my mother so terrified, whether she likes it or not.

The entire drive to school is awkward and silent. My mum's eyes stay locked straight ahead, not giving me a single glance. I keep my gaze out my window, fascinated by the thick fog that surrounds us. You can barely see past two metres ahead.

I'm dreading the school day ahead as soon as the car pulls up in front of the ancient red brick building. Without a word, I climb out of the car. I'm not as invisible as I was yesterday. Quite the opposite, actually. Conversations halt, eyes are glued to me, whispers emerge.

"That's the girl who attacked Trish yesterday!" I hear a girl whisper to her friend. I immediately throw her a glare. That is not what happened. That evil cheerleader attacked me, I was just defending myself.

The girl jumps back, the colour leaving her cheeks, leaving her face unnaturally pale. I get similar reactions from quite a few more students, each one increasing my anger towards the cheerleader, Trish.

My eyes dart around the courtyard in a desperate search for Krystal, but I can't see the tiny brunette anywhere. Keeping my eyes glued to the crumbling cement before me, I make a beeline for the bathrooms. I swerve in and out of crowds of students until I make it to the building and the entrance to the bathrooms. I push the door open, revealing the dimly lit bathroom. As soon as I'm inside, I regret the decision immediately. There, standing before the mirror lined with sinks, is Trish and her cronies, applying their thousandth layer of make-up on their faces. One by one, they turn to face me, a cynical smile growing on Trish's face.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," she sneers.

"I didn't realise you were homeless," one of her sidekicks quips.

"I'm not homeless…"

"Oh, then why are you dressed like that?" Their disgusting, evil cackles fill the room. I swallow back the rapidly growing lump in my throat, trying everything to stop myself from shedding any tears.

"Aww, Sarah, you made her cry," their red-headed friend coos. The trio laugh again, flicking their perfectly styled hair. Trish is the first to make a move, the irritating click of her heels sounding as she walks. She shoves me aside into the door of a cubicle, making me collapse against it and onto the cold tiled floor beneath the toilet.

Once again, their laughs echo as they traipse out of the bathroom, leaving me on the cold hard ground, on the brink of tears.

I never went to class. I stayed in the same position, curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing for about twenty minutes, before I finally snapped out of it. Now I'm mindlessly wandering around New York City, hoping to stumble upon the entrance to my building. I gave up on trying to retrace this morning's drive to school, given the annoyingly thick fog which is still yet to lift. A few metres ahead I can faintly make out a sign in front of a cute little café.

Free wi-fi for all paying customers

I begin to dig out the lunch money mum had given me. Six dollars, enough for at least a coffee. I don't waste any time in getting there, grabbing the internet password along with my caramel latte.

I take my seat while waiting for my phone to connect to the Wi-Fi. When it does, I locate my Maps app and punch in the address for the building. A little green pin pops up, literally right next to the pulsating blue dot which displays my location. I groan, locking my phone and banging my head repeatedly against the table.

"Here's your latte, suga'," a bubbly blonde woman with a southern accent places my drink on the table. "You alright?"

I immediately halt the head banging and flash her a smile. "I'm fine, thanks."

She looks at me skeptically but continues on her way anyway.

I chug the latte, burning my tongue as I go. All I can think about is going back into my closet, into the Marvel Universe, and into Calum's bedroom, hopefully seeing him half-naked again. That boy is dangerously good looking.

Having already paid for my drink, I rush straight to my apartment as soon as I'm finished. The doorman gives me a curious look as I race past him.

I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for the elevator to arrive. I feel a sudden urgency to be upstairs, to enter the closet and begin exploring the Marvel one.

A good three minutes passes before I'm inside my apartment. Without bothering to change my clothes, I step through the back wall of my wardrobe for the third time. This time I make sure to take my time, stepping through slowly and carefully. I manage to get through without losing my balance, and now I stand inside the dark closet, staring down the double doors. For a second I don't move, listening for any movement on the other side of the doors. I hear none, and slowly push one of the doors open. The room is empty.

I instantly head to the door of his bedroom, when Calum's words echo inside my mind.

They're going to take you in, run tests on you, do experiments…you won't be able to go back home.

I'm itching to have a look around, but I can't risk being trapped here forever. Instead, I turn my heel and head back into the wardrobe. I'm back inside my own room in an instant, but I don't stay. I jog to my mum's room and head straight for her closet. As I step through hers, just as carefully as I had done before.

Now I'm standing in this foreign closet, surrounded by several different S.H.I.E.L.D. issue uniforms, all seeming to be designed for a female. Bingo.

I peek through the wardrobe doors and find this room empty as well. I grin and push them open.

Turning back to face the closet, I'm faced with a dilemma. I see two different outfits in here. One sleek black body suit, a pair of black cargo pants with a matching top. I opt for the pants, going off what I'd seen Calum put on this morning. Quickly I strip, chucking my clothes back through the portal while pulling the cargo pants on. The fit is a bit loose for my liking, but it'll have to do.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, taking in my appearance. I definitely look like I've just stepped out of an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. I bound out of the girl's bedroom without a second thought.