Lily

We kissed Oh god...we kissed....

I couldn’t stop replaying it in my mind. How his lips felt on mine, like they belonged there, like I had been waiting for it without even knowing. But now that it had happened, everything felt... strange. Confusing.

It had been natural—so natural—that it scared me.My heart was a whirlwind of emotions. Do I love him? The question felt like a weight pressing down on me, too heavy for me to bear. I wanted to say yes, to believe it, but how could I? We both belong to different worlds. And yet, something deep inside me whispered the truth: I think I do.

Eventually, sleep claimed me, but when I woke, the weight of the night’s events was still there, lingering, impossible to shake off.

Morning light crept through the window, but instead of the warmth it usually brought, it felt cold. I thought of last night and felt a flush spread across my cheeks. I pressed my fingers to my lips, the memory of him so real it almost hurt.

As I stood to get dressed, I tried to focus on the normalcy of my morning routine—brushing my hair, splashing water on my face. But my mind kept drifting back to him. To Callan.

And then there was a knock at the door.

I opened it to find Callan’s mother standing there, her eyes gentle but carrying a weight I hadn’t anticipated.

“We’ve found a way to send you home,” she said softly, her words sinking into me like stones.

Home.

The word hit me harder than I expected. The reality of it. My chest tightened, my throat constricting as I struggled to breathe. She continued, but all I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears.

“You need to leave tomorrow,” she said. “It’s the only way. If you don’t, it might take another year before you can return home.”

Tomorrow. I had to leave tomorrow.

I nodded, but it felt like my heart was being torn from my chest. I wanted to protest, to scream, to tell her I couldn’t. But I didn’t have the words. She was right. My family—my real family—was waiting for me. They were terrified. I hadn’t been gone for long, but the thought of never seeing them again, of leaving this world behind...

I was torn in two.

She smiled gently, placing a hand on my arm. “It’s time, Lily. You’ve been a part of this world for a short while, but your place is in your own world now.”

Her words were comforting, but they didn’t make it easier.

When she left, I sat by the window, staring at the horizon. The village bustled in the distance, its sounds faint but familiar now.

I wasn’t supposed to stay here, and yet the thought of leaving was unbearable. Why now god, of all times? Why, after last night....

*********************************

I spent the day saying goodbye to the people of the village, trying to hold it together as I moved from one face to the next. Bree was the first to notice.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?” she asked, her voice small.

I nodded.

Her eyes softened, and for a moment, I could see the sadness in them, but she smiled bravely. “It’s been a pleasure having you here.”

I tried to smile back, but it felt like something inside me was breaking.

As I walked through the village, I felt the weight of every goodbye. It wasn’t just leaving the village behind. It was leaving a part of myself here, leaving behind a world that had become real to me, a world I didn’t want to leave.

And then I saw him.

Callan.

His presence cut through the crowd like a knife. There was no one else. Just him. I hadn’t told him yet. I didn’t have the strength to say the words aloud—not after everything that had happened.

He walked toward me, his eyes dark and unreadable. My heart pounded, my breath shallow.

“Hi,” I whispered, my voice shaky.

“You’re leaving tomorrow,” he said, his voice a quiet murmur.

I nodded, my stomach twisting. “It’s the only option I have.”

He stared at me, his lips pressing into a thin line. There was so much he wanted to say, I could feel it, but neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to.

We both knew.

The silence between us was unbearable. It was like we were standing on the edge of something, both afraid to jump, both too terrified to let go.

*********************************

The room felt empty.

I stood there, staring at the clothes I had worn when I arrived—jeans and a tank top, the only things from my world that had managed to survive here. I felt like I was shedding an old skin, but I didn’t know who I would be once I left this place.

A knock at the door.

I didn’t need to ask who it was. I knew.

When I opened the door, Callan stood there, his face unreadable, his eyes betraying the emotions he wasn’t willing to say.

He stepped closer, closing the space between us. “I don’t want you to go,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I swallowed hard, unable to look him in the eyes,i don't know what to say i don't want to leave...but I have to leave....

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace, the stone a vibrant green, glowing softly in his hand. He placed it in my palm, his touch gentle, his fingers brushing against mine.

“I want you to have this,” he said. “To remember this place. To remember me.”

My throat tightened, and I tried to push the tears down, but they threatened to spill. “I can’t take it,” I whispered. “I’m not allowed to bring anything back.”

He didn’t let go of the necklace. Instead, he gently took my hand and placed it around my neck, his fingers brushing my skin as he secured it in place.

“No one will dare take this from you,” he said softly, his forehead resting against mine.

My heart ached. It was like a physical pain, a weight in my chest I couldn’t escape.

“Please,” he murmured, his voice breaking. “Remember me, Lily. Even in your world. Don’t forget me.”

“I won’t,” I whispered back, but my voice trembled, and I knew he could hear the pain in it.

He stepped forward, closing the space between us, and I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. I couldn’t bear to lose the warmth of his presence, even if it was for just one more moment.

And then, with no more words needed, his arms were around me. He pulled me in so tight, like he was trying to hold on to the very essence of me, like if he let go, I would disappear forever.

I pressed my face into his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart, trying to memorize the sound, knowing it was the last time I would hear it like this.

“I will miss you, Lily,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, the words barely audible.

My heart shattered. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know if I should say it back or if it would hurt too much.

His grip tightened, his arms a vice around me, as if he was afraid I would slip through his fingers. “Please don’t go,” he begged, his voice breaking.

I felt the tremor in his body, felt his pain and his helplessness, and it tore at my soul. “I wish I could stay,” I whispered against his chest. “but i have to go..i don't have choice.”

The door knocked.

And then, slowly, reluctantly, I pulled away from him, my hands lingering on his arms for just a moment longer before I let them drop.

“I have to go,” I whispered, but the words felt like a lie.

The man who was going to take me was here.

I turned to Callan, my chest tight, my hands shaking. He stood there, watching me with a look in his eyes that made my heart stop.

I reached for him, just for a moment, desperate to hold onto him, to memorize the feel of him, of everything he was. But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

“I’ll never forget you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

And with that, I left.

The door closed behind me, and for the first time, it felt like I was walking away from a dream.