"Why me? Why me?!" My face dug into the dirt, and I was lying on my stomach. "Why me...."

I sat up and spit out dirt that got in my mouth. "Blah!" Something moving was stuck between two of my teeth, and with a thumb and finger, I gently pulled it out. "Ew!"

It was a worm! And it was still alive.

"Ew, ew, ew!" I tossed the worm and hugged myself. "I will be having wormy nightmares tonight. That is, if I ever have the chance of sleeping again."

I rose and scanned my new surroundings. At least, they are new to people who were not from here. I took a glance over my shoulder to check if the portal was still there.

Nope. No portal.

Had I been dreaming?

I winded up in a town. The town of Forlot! Yes! I never left!

A wave of relief washed over me, and I felt my anxiety fading. It was just like Forlot. The purple skies. The homes and other buildings. I discovered later that even the laws were the same.

Unfortunately for me, this was not Forlot, and it was all thanks to Ava. Not Ava. Anti-Ava.

While I was taking in the small town, someone tapped my shoulder. I spun around and saw her. Anti-Ava. At first, I had my guard up, and could you blame me? Anti-Ava was the opposite of Ava and...

...hold on for a second.

"Um, Ava?"

"Yes, Caleb? What is it?"

"I am going to ask you a couple of questions and do not want you to lie."

"Me? Lie? I have never lied in my entire life and do not plan on doing it now."

"Are you good?"

"Why, one of the best folks in LotFor! I helped all the orphans receive wonderful homes and families and volunteered at the soup kitchen. I also—"

"Sorry for interrupting you, but did I hear you correctly? Did you say...LotFor?"

"That is the town's name. We were sent to the entrance of the town. See the sign?"

I spun back around and spotted the sign, surprised that I did not notice it earlier. I read it.

"'Welcome to LotFor. Home of the Overlord. Population: Bad Guys to the Infinity.'" I turned back to Anti-Ava. "Lot...For...has an overlord?"

"I am afraid so, and he is unfortunately evil."

"Who is he? Who is the overlord? 'Cause it certainly is not the Lord."

"Caleb, trust me when I say that you do not want to know. I am worried that it will scar you for life."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that? Is it because of my anxiety?"

"No, no, no. It has nothing to do with your anxiety. And I know how it feels to have anxiety."

I squinted at her. "Do...do you have severe anxiety too?"

She did not answer my question. Instead, she gripped my short sleeve and tugged on it. "We need to go and hide. Now. And I have the perfect hiding place."

I asked her nicely if she could release my sleeve and that I would follow her. She did so, led me around a corner, and instructed me to wait. I fiddled with my fingers and rocked back and forth on my shoes.

Anti-Ava poked her head out and whispered to me. "There she is."

"There is who?" I whispered back.

"Anti-Cindy. She just came to the area where we were and is searching for you."

"Do you know why she kidnapped me and took me from my hometown?"

"I will explain that and much more when we are in my secret hideaway."

"You have a secret hideaway? Where?"

She pulled her head back. "At our disposal. Literally."

I was by a huge trash bin, and Anti-Ava pushed it to the dirt ground, the bin making a clang! sound in the process. Anti-Ava reached down and pushed open a circular object, revealing a passageway.

"We will go through a tube that will take us to my hideout," she explained. "Follow my lead."

She jumped into the tube and slid down. I gulped, for my anxiety did not limit me being fearful of tight spaces, and prayed that I would not get stuck. I then took in a deep breath and jumped in after her.

The two of us slid and slid. Thank gosh that my body did not get stuck, and we landed on a white mattress, a mattress that was covered in dirt and dust.

I sneezed loudly from all the dust, and Anti-Ava slapped my arm.

"Hey! I thought that you were good."

"I am. I did not slap you hard. But you should really hold in your sneezes for the time being. Anybody can hear us. Even the overlord."

"Well, I cannot help my sneezes. I have allergies to dust."

"Really? Me too!" It was her turn to sneeze, and she laughed. "We just met and already have three things in common. She got off the mattress and scurried to a fridge that looked old and had mold. "I sure am hungry. Are you, Caleb?"

"Unless you have moldy food, no."

"Nope. It is fresh. Er, frozen." She took a frozen meal out of the refrigerator. "Do you like cold chicken and cold vegetables? They are all cooked."

"As long as the expiration date has not passed, I guess that I could have a bite or two."

I scrambled off the mattress and plopped my bottom in an old chair. Anti-Ava sat next to me and handed me a fork. She ripped the plastic apart and licked her lips.

"It sure smells good."

I examined my fork. "This is clean...right?"

"If I did not clean any of the dishes, I would have died long ago. Then again, fictional characters cannot die."

We shared the frozen meal and talked.

"So..." I said. "...how is life in the town of LotFor?"