Author's Note: Wow! I finally figured out how to leave the Author's Note!! Man, I'm stupid... Um, anyways, I managed to get Chapter 2 done... Not much to say... Heh heh, well, please read and review. All reviews are greatly appreciated!

Angela (I shortened your pen name if you don't mind ^_^; ): Thanks for reviewing! I'm gonna remember you as my first reviewer! *gives cookie*

Alright! Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 2 – In a New World… Literally

Sunlight shone through my slit eyelids. Weird, the sun shouldn't be out at 5:00 a.m. Also, it's November, so it should be really cloudy at my house, not full of light! On the bright side, it was warm, unlike the winter breeze that comes and goes through the cracks and holes of my house. I felt around myself to take off the blanket on top of me; but there was one problem...

It wasn't there!

I immediately sat up in alarm. In fact, I wasn't on a bed, but on the ground! The clear blue sky could be seen with sunlight bathing the whole area around me. I shaded my eyes from the sudden brightness, and looked around myself. I was sitting on fresh green grass, and there was a dirt road that went out in four different directions: one towards a cliff opening, one towards a cliff edge, one going to some small ruins, and the final one was… leading towards a stone bridge. A very, very familiar stone bridge!

I stood up and dusted myself off. No, this can't be! I took a deep breath.

"Alright, calm down Theresa." I thought to myself, "Maybe this isn't what I'm thinking it is. Even though it looks like its spitting image, maybe that's not the bridge leading to… to…."

I took a couple steps forward through the bright green plants until the path of the bridge was in my line of sight. The door looked exactly the same, and I recognized the walls easily as well. I could even hear the same bustling inside as a regular town would: music, conversation, laughter, it had it all! But… There's just no possible way! Could it truly be…?

Castle Town?

Oh. My. Gosh! I'm actually in Hyrule!! I thought I was going to faint, but I took deep breaths and collected myself. This can't be a dream. I stomped on the ground. Solid. I felt the floor again with my hands and fingers spread out. Still solid and soft as my palms and fingers touched the little green strands of grass. Well, time to confirm this by entering the town!

I was about to walk to the bridge and investigate until I took another good look around. To my right, there was the usual Bulblin wandering around that small flower patch, which held a golden butterfly. Wow, the guide wasn't joking when it said that it's hard to see them – wait a minute! There's a Bulblin! I was beginning to panic, when I realized that it didn't notice me. It just continued to walk around in a circle, glance somewhere else, and walk again. It just continued to do that over and over. Walk. Glance. Walk. And the whole time, it didn't see me. I sighed in relief.

Well, it's obvious that as long as I don't get close to it, then it won't attack. Hey, maybe everything here is just like in the game! Or perhaps the poor thing is just stupid.

Suddenly, shade quickly passed over me. I looked up to find a pterodactyl-like bird flying overhead, and eyeing me hungrily with two yellow circles. I shivered. It's a Kargaroc!

My legs immediately began running to the opposite direction and toward the crag opening. If I'm lucky, I'll reach Hyrule Field and it'll lose sight of me. I continued to run and run, my ears ringing with the sound of the Kargaroc's screech in the sky. I could even hear the flapping of its wings coming closer to me at a great speed. I didn't care if my legs were tiring, or if my side was hurting, or if my breathing was getting faster. The only thing on my mind was to get away from this monster bird!

Unfortunately, my reluctance to exercise contributed to being easily caught by the Kargaroc's large talons. It grabbed hold of the back of my jacket, and I began to fly with it...or more like hang and thrash around in its grip.

I screamed, hoping that someone out there would hear me. But I highly doubted it. I was too high in the air and it was making me dizzy. Man, how I hated heights! I stopped moving around in defeat, and fear, and merely hung there while it continued to fly without a worry.

Wind blew furiously at my face, sending my short, ebony hair back behind me. The sharp nails of the bird's talons dug deep into my jacket, obviously making holes through it, and making it more difficult for me to escape. I could only watch the land pass underneath my dangling legs; somehow I managed to keep my slip-on shoes stuck to my feet. Either way, I continued to look up; the height was still making me light-headed and sick inside. I gave up on yelling, my throat was dry and nobody showed any sign of seeing me in the sky anyway, not that I saw anybody in Hyrule Field.

The Kargaroc would occasionally give out a mighty shriek, possibly giving warning to any other prey and proudly showing that I'm its next meal. It was deafening to hear it so loud and so close. I hated this. As soon as I come in, I get captured!

It seemed like half an hour or so before I noticed the monster descending slowly. I finally mustered up some courage to look around the area; there were many trees and small, rocky cliffs speckled in random places. The trees stood tall and great, a perfect place for a Kargaroc to place its nest, I think.

I can't give up now. I can't die at this age! Moreover, by being eaten... I'm too young to die! I looked down again, searching for anything I could land on. We were just passing a small, bright spring that was shown openly in a clearing of trees. After that, more low trees covered the ground. I widened my eyes as I realized that we passed Lanayru Province and just going through Faron Woods. This place, along with the Ordona Province, had the most trees if my memory is correct. So, I only have one shot at this.

I carefully moved my right arm and did my best to keep the Kargaroc from noticing my movement. My arms felt numb from being pulled up by my jacket for so long. Nevertheless, I managed to slip it away from the sleeve of my jacket, but held on for dear life onto the left sleeve. Oh damn, I didn't think about that! Taking out my right arm would lose balance and cause me to have to hang on to the other one.

But then again, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

Moving my weight onto the left side of my jacket caused the Kargaroc to momentarily lose its own balance, and was forced to lean forward and closer to the trees. I proceeded with removing my left arm from the sleeve, and clinged onto the bottom of my now tearing jacket. I looked beneath me one more time; good, there's still more trees, but now I was pretty sure that we just passed the border of Faron Province. I let go.

The fall was quicker than I expected. I planned on landing on a branch on my feet, but instead of gaining steadiness on one of them, I fell backwards and broke through other frail twigs. They left scratches everywhere on my back, bruises on my arms and legs. Sure it broke my fall and everything, but it wasn't worth it if I was going to get continuously tortured! I finally landed on my back onto solid ground.

I groaned loudly from pain. It was more like a half scream, half groan. Landing hard on newly made scratches isn't the best feeling in the world. I didn't want to move from this resting spot, but I knew I needed to run. Who knows, there might be more monsters headed for me! My complaint of pain subsided soon enough, and was reduced to heavy breathing. I thought I was beginning to get used to the pain until I tried to get up. Instead of "being used to it," it only felt like more torment. I can't move like this! Suddenly, a familiar screech broke the temporary silence of the forest, making me wide-eyed and alert. That was motivation enough to stand up, and I didn't care about how my body practically screamed, "These cuts really, really hurt!"

I scanned the tops of the trees; thankfully, the leaves were thick above me and seemed to provide cover. However, I put my back against a nearby wall just in case. Doing that made me flinch from the cuts, but I managed to stifle a grunt. I saw the shadow of the flying figure through the leaves. I held my breath once more. The dimmed lighting of this area proved useful, and eventually, the Kargaroc flew away and left me alone. I sighed and breathed, letting my body slide down the wall until I was in a sitting position.

Rubbing my wounded back against a hard rock wall wasn't the best idea, and sent a sharp feeling shooting through me. I didn't care. I just wanted to sleep. I looked around to make sure I wasn't lost and to be aware of any monsters.

It was just a one-way path of going either left or right. I knew that one led to Hyrule Field and the other led to... I gasped. Ordon Village must be close by! I knew that the villagers there could help me, and moreover, Link was there!

My stomach was feeling all twisted again. Nervousness was taking over me. How should I react when – I mean, if– I see him? Now, I was feeling a bit excited. Wow, I'm going to see a character from a game in real life?! Oh, how cool is that?! However, my attempts at moving proved unsuccessful. My body was feeling incredibly heavy as though I were paralyzed. I could barely lift up my arm!

Perhaps this is for the best anyway. I was slowly losing consciousness and was beginning to fall asleep. Sleep is good! But then I struggled to remain awake, for the sound of hooves was coming closer and closer from my left. I tried to open my eyes and run, but everything went black before I could.

~ : ~ : ~

I took a breath in through my nostrils; a deep breath. Ah, I felt relaxed and well-slept. My hand twitched, and as it fell back down, it landed on something soft. Soft like a bed! My eyelids cracked open and soon my vision was clear. What I saw above me was a wooden ceiling. I looked down, and I was covered in a large quilt.

To my dismay, neither the ceiling nor the quilt looked familiar. Most likely, I wasn't home.

"Ah, you're awake!" a female voice exclaimed, "Father! She's awake!" I turned to my left to see a blonde-haired girl quickly walking towards me. She wore a long, sleeveless blouse over a pair of brown capri pants.

Ilia.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly, pulling up a chair and sitting next to me. I blinked and pulled the covers away from myself. Almost instantly, I winced from that same hurting feeling coming from my back, and Ilia gently laid me back down.

"Slow down! You're still recovering from your wounds!" I looked at myself, and found that instead of my regular uniform top, I was in my light blue undershirt covered in bandages.

"I-I'm fine." I said, continuing to sit up. Again, I winced.

"Please, rest." My dark brown gaze stared at her straight in the eye. However, it was obvious that she had no intention of letting me walk around injured. I sighed and yielded.

"Fine." But rather than lie back down, I pulled the pillow up against the wall behind the bed to lean on it. Ilia looked a little annoyed, but said nothing.

"So how are you feeling now?" I looked at her again.

"I…guess I'm better than before." The bandages were actually a little tight, and too much for just multiple cuts on my back. Even so, I kept my mouth shut. Ilia beamed.

"That's a relief. You looked really messed up when Link found you. I don't know what might've happened to you had he not rescued you!" I looked away from her in slight surprise. It was Link who found me? The Link?! And I just realized now that I'm in the correct timeline that I wanted to be in: Twilight Princess. That takes out one of my worries.

"T-Thank you for taking care of my wounds," I said. Even I didn't know what would've happened to me if I had been abandoned. She was about to reply when loud footsteps could be heard coming at a fast pace. Ilia and I looked in the direction of the staircase where a large old man was standing. He was sort of breathing hard.

It was none other than Mayor Bo himself.

"Ah, so she's –"

"Father!" He jumped a little. "Why didn't you come sooner?! I'm sure it's been a few minutes since I called you!" Mayor Bo laughed nervously.

"Uh, well, you see, dear," he explained, "I went to pass on the news to Link. Well actually, I walked over to Fado's to have him deliver the message. So it took me a little while to come up there and back." His daughter calmed down a little bit, but huffed as she turned her back on him. I really had no idea how he could deal with her...

"Um, it's fine, guys." I interrupted, "No need to get into an argument." Mayor Bo seemed a bit relieved by this, but his daughter's face didn't change. The large man cleared his throat and continued,

"Greetings, I am Mayor Bo. Right now, you are in Ordon Village. I believe you have already met my daughter, Ilia." Yeah, tell me something I don't know. But I put on a calm smile nonetheless.

"It's nice to meet you both. My name's Theresa. That's a nice name you have." I complimented, looking over to Ilia. I always liked her name in the first place. She obviously looked happy with the comment.

"Thank you! Though I must say, you have an uncommon name, Theresa. But I suppose it's because you're not from here." I raised an eyebrow playfully.

"And how do you know that I'm just another person from another nearby village?"

"Because your style of clothing isn't similar to anything from here." she replied, pointing to where my magenta polo shirt was neatly folded and placed on another bed. That reminded me that I was just wearing my light blue undershirt, a gray skirt, and magenta knee highs. My black shoes were on the floor next to the separate bed.

"Right... Uh, I knew that." Both the father and daughter chuckled. I blushed and tried to glare at them, but couldn't help but laugh myself as well. Soon enough, we all heard the door open and close gently.

"Hello?" a voice called. Ilia swiftly stood up and looked over the staircase.

"We're upstairs, Link!" My eyes enlarged somewhat, but I tried my best not to show it as Mayor Bo stood in front of me. As Ilia returned to her seat, the quick sound of feet came closer and closer until... He was in the same room as us.

"Hi! I'm Link!" he said. I was sure that my heart skipped a beat. Oh, how much cuter he looks in real life compared to the game! I quickly collected myself and was about to return the introduction when a certain other girl interrupted me.

"This is Theresa! She says she's feeling better now." I eyed her suspiciously as Ilia did that. But being in a good mood at the moment, I decided to let it pass. Maybe she's just excited that I'm here... Just maybe...

"Pleasure to meet you, Link." I added before she could speak up again.

"Likewise." He walked over to join the mayor and his daughter. Oh, he sounds so much better! I loathed the game makers for making him unable to speak, but I love them more for creating him! He looked only about two years older than me while Ilia looked one year older. Perhaps the two of us will get along depending on how much she's willing to let me speak. Maybe I'm just paranoid or something...

"So, uh, what happened to me? How did you find me?" I was acting curious, though I knew exactly what occurred. Well, at least this is to know their side of the story. Mayor Bo began.

"It was a regular day here with all the villagers doing their usual chores. I was just here at home at the moment. But then we heard a scream nearby, and we all panicked." Ilia continued.

"I was playing with the kids near the small stream outside when I heard you. We had to get them in their houses just in case anything was coming. We didn't want anything terrible to happen to them again..." She paused for a moment, spacing out as though in thought. Aha! So this is after Link's adventure! I think. The cute farm boy took over with the story, seeing her hesitation.

"I was doing my work at the ranch at that time. I was already on my horse, so when I reached the Mayor's house, everybody was inside and he told me to investigate. As I passed my own house, I saw a Kargaroc searching the trees. It's strange for them to wander past here, but anyways, when it disappeared, I went on along the path. You were lying down unconscious just past the Ordon Spring, and I took you back here for your wounds to be mended."

It was as though the whole scene was being played before me. Wow, that's a mouthful. But at least I know what they did. Ilia finally returned to earth by the end.

"Your back was covered with so many scratches, and some were deeper than others and bleeding badly. Other than that, you only had bruises on the rest of your body." She made it sound so painful because, well, it was. That was one of the worst moments of my life. I just nodded as they explained the scene to me, and also when Ilia told me of my injuries. Just to act curious and like a person who doesn't know what Link went through, I asked,

"Um, would you mind me asking?" They all nodded in unison. "Ilia, earlier you said you didn't want anything bad to happen to the children again... What exactly do you mean by 'again'?" They all went silent and pale. That wasn't a good sign. A sigh from Link broke the awkward silence.

"It's a long story," he said, "Let's just say it's something that we don't want to repeat, even through story-telling." I looked down at the bed. That experience must have been really bad. Playing it in the game didn't make it look dangerous at all. Even if I saw everything that the Bulblins did to them, I can only imagine that their fear was much greater than what I just experienced. Moreover, they're just kids! No child should be put through such an ordeal!

"Sorry for asking..." I finally said. Mayor Bo spoke up.

"Oh, no no no. You needn't apologize." I smiled at him, or rather to all of them. I moved my legs onto the wooden floor, and tried to stand up. Then almost together, the three of them went to me to make sure that I didn't fall. I chuckled at their kindness. It was sort of funny seeing them doing this together to one person.

"I'm fine, everyone. I'm just going to get my shirt and shoes, and then I'll be on my way." Again with the unity, they all gasped. Ilia went in front of me.

"No! You must stay here and rest longer!" Mayor Bo joined in after his child.

"You're still hurt. And who knows? Maybe that monster is still after you!" Sheesh, Ilia's reason was caring, but her dad looked like he wanted to scare me to stay. Then, I felt a firm hand on my right shoulder. I looked toward Link's direction as he spoke.

"Please don't worry, Theresa. You're no trouble or burden to us in any way." I looked to the other two, and they nodded in reassurance. I remained standing and staring at the floor in thought. They were so kind; I would've never known that they acted this way to complete strangers. I could've been a murderer and they treated me so kindly! I finally moved my head up and down in agreement to them. The once anxious faces disappeared and were replaced with expressions of joy.

The mayor cheered with Link while Ilia gave me a hug. Wow, that was random. But as her arms wrapped around me, I could feel that sharp experience go through me again.

"Ow, Ilia, that hurts!" I said through her choking. She gasped and let go.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" I started to laugh, and soon the mayor and the rancher joined in. Ha! Now Ilia's on the spot! Nah, I didn't mean it that way, her reaction was just funny. And eventually, the confused teen laughed with us as well. Once it died down, I inquired,

"Are you sure that you want to keep me here? I mean, I'm not even from here and yet you're treating me like this." The mayor's daughter shook her head.

"Just as Link said, you're no trouble to us." I never expected them to be this nice! I knew how they acted in the game, which gave me a small dislike for Ilia at first, but it's nothing compared to reality.

"Thank you," was all I could say to them. As they all smiled at me, somehow I was able to hold back tears. Hm, I never expected to cry or anything. Anybody would insist on keeping an injured person with them, so how come tears were threatening me now? Oh, maybe it's because I'm finally in the place I wanted to be in. Ha! Take that, Dad! Shooting stars are real!

"Well then at least let me put on my shirt!" I added, grabbing the quilt and covering myself with it, "I don't want these two guys in the room looking at me like this!" Both Mayor Bo and Link turned as red as tomatoes.

"S-Sorry!" they both said, bumping into each other as they went downstairs. Ilia and I couldn't help but laugh at them. It was okay if she was here; I was only wearing an undershirt, and she's a girl anyway. My laughing was soon reduced to a giggle as I reached over for my shirt. I slipped it on quickly and put on my shoes.

"So, you said that there's other villagers here, right?" The fellow teen said yes. "Can I meet them?" She looked uncertain. Well, it was clear that she still wanted me to rest, but I insisted with a 'Please?' After a couple more 'Please?'s, she gave up and led me to the entrance of her house.

"Alright then. But as soon as we're done, it's back to the bed for you!" she said, opening the door. Sheesh, she sounds just like my mom, but I agreed anyway. Like I said, sleep isn't so bad. As the door revealed the bright village, I had to shade my eyes again. Man, I gotta get used to this!

Well, that's the end of Chapter 2! I'll try to get the next one out ASAP!