"Hurry up, Bubbles! We still have so many places we need to go to." I groaned as my sister was dragging her heels by looking at all the pretty dresses in the windows of the stores.

Nana Betty's message of sending the koala struck a chord with me. It made me think about trusting my instincts, which were screaming at me to take the Oracle's advice of creative thinking seriously. So, after deciding yesterday to be with my Seed Bearer, I gave Esther a call. The two of us had driven down to Brisbane, where we decided to stay overnight. There were so many places I wanted to go to get everything I needed.

We'd spent the night on our shared hotel bed drinking cocktails while researching ways to trick a pregnancy test into providing a false positive. At this point, I was willing to try anything and everything to fake a pregnancy with the man I loved. We both laughed at how I was the opposite of all the crazy women who fake a pregnancy to trap their man. I was doing this to keep my man. And my life.

I had created a list of different old wives' tales and other suggestions on how to thwart the pregnancy test. I had no idea if any of them worked but that didn't stop me from wanting to try each one in case they did. One included reusing a used test. One trick suggested using coke—the acid denatures the proteins in pregnancy tests here; I also hoped it would do the same for the other universe. Another suggested to use a tiny bit of hand soap. If a small amount is added to the urine, it degrades the test, thus providing a false positive. Even apple juice can make a pregnancy test positive from the sugars—although, it is less reliable than the other options.

I even considered finding a way to purchase HCG drops. That was quashed. We found out that products on the market labelled as HCG don't contain the real hormone—they use a homoeopathic substitute instead. There was no way I would be able to get my hands on a syringe of real HCG used to treat infertility in time.

After Esther and I checked out of the hotel, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the cafe down the street. We planned out exactly where we needed to go since time was of the essence. We had to be back up the coast by early evening for what might be my last family dinner. One of the main reasons why we decided to come into the Big Smoke was because the Sunshine Coast lacked some of the speciality stores I needed to visit.

The first item on the agenda was finding a large duffle bag that would be big enough to fit everything in. Through my two portal trips, I learned that only items on my person came along with me. The bag I was looking for needed to be one that I could sling across my shoulders. I didn't care what it looked like, or how long it would last, so I ended up buying the biggest bag that K-Mart had in store. The 71L duffle bag looked so big and spacious when it was empty; it wouldn't take long for the two of us to fill it, though.

Visiting a couple of lingerie shops had caused a decrease in my bank balance. I had never really liked shopping for lingerie; I didn't feel sexy. This time, though, I had a ball as Esther and I tried to outdo each other in finding the most revealing and sexy items. Despite the dent in my finances, it would be worth it once Jiminie caught sight of me in the daring and alluring lingerie sets.

The visit to the adult store had taken much longer. My sister had choked on her drink last night when I said that I wanted to bring some fun toys with me. She asked why I didn't find some there and for the second time in less than a minute, she was gobsmacked to learn they didn't have sex toys in the other universe. The difficulty we faced was looking for items that did not run on batteries. Like many things in this universe, batteries did not exist there. By the end, I came away with a collection of vibrators that came with USB chargers, along with a large selection of other paraphernalia.

On my list to buy were BTS items that could be another way to prove I had come from another universe if I ever came across that bridge. I didn't want to have to rely only on the tablet and phone that I hoped were still safely tucked away in Jimin's and my room. Technology has a lifespan, and the day will come when one or both devices will stop working. Printed items were both easier to hide and lasted longer. At one of the K-Pop stores, I bought every book and calendar that was available on not only BTS but any of the male groups that I had met as Seed Bearers. I even picked up different food items that held BTS' faces on them from the Asian store. The shop assistant probably thought I was either a super fan or addicted to coffee with the amount I purchased.

My feet were aching when Esther and I finally stopped for a late lunch. Despite hurrying from suburb to suburb in search of particular stores, by 2.30pm, it was nice to know that I had everything ready. All I needed to do was to pack the items I had purchased today, along with the silicone baby bumps that were still at Esther's.

"I hope that is everything?" Esther asked, groaning with relief at my nodding head as she took a large sip from her iced coffee. "Thank god, I'm knackered. I don't think I could handle any more shopping. Plus, my thongs are munted by all the walking we've done."

"Yep, I'm with you there. I just have to pack everything in and then it's all done." I moaned at the taste of my vanilla slice. When I was faced with what to order, I thought about which option I would miss most. While I could make the delicious baked good myself, I loathed making puff pastry, so my decision was an easy one.

"I'm gonna miss this, miss you," Esther murmured, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "It might sound selfish but I kinda don't want you to go. I mean, I want you to be with Jimin... I also want you to stay with me. It's gonna feel weird, being the only pea in the pod."

I hated seeing my sister like this. Her nose and cheeks were splotchy, giving away how much she was trying to hold in her emotions. "Hey now, you'll never be alone," I said in a soothing tone as I reached across to hold her hand.

This was one thing I was afraid of when I made my decision to go back to the stairs. Esther was outwardly the stronger of the two of us; however, she bottled up her emotions and tried to deal with them alone. In the 24 days I had been back here, I had managed to rid her of the guilt that had hung over her head. I didn't think I could ease my sister's future loneliness and the sense of abandonment.

"I will miss you every day, Squish. I'm not just losing my sister but my best friend. I wish there was a way I could come with you. That is your journey, though, not mine. Everyone thinks that I am the stronger and braver of us." I watched as Esther smushed the last crumbs of her chocolate cake onto the plate with her fork, "But it's you who is stronger. Nell, you are so brave with what you are doing, and I couldn't be prouder.

"As much as I would like you here with me, where you are safe, Squish, I know that you won't be happy. It would crush me to see the sparkle drain from you if you stayed here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you resented any of us for keeping you away from your love."

"I wouldn't resent you–"

"Not outwardly you wouldn't," she cut me off with a heaviness in her voice. "You would always wonder 'What if?' if you stayed here. That's not a life worth living. Especially when you could be shacked up with one handsome, sexy, sinful man with all those fun toys you bought him."

I laughed with a snort at the suggestive way her eyebrows wiggled. As we drank our coffee, I enjoyed my last day with my twin. We gossiped about boys, giggled over inside jokes, and planned out our future weddings. We were cramming a lifetime together into a few short hours. Like she had said to me, I would miss Esther every day. I would miss all of my family and friends but unlike the others, I had shared every day of my life connected to another.

By going through the portal, I would be leaving my sister who was also my wombmate and best friend.

By going through the portal, I would never see my family again. I wouldn't get to watch Caleb grow up and find a love of his own. I wouldn't get to laugh with Mum. I wouldn't get to learn fascinating tidbits of information that my father taught me. I wouldn't get to watch Aiden and Christof expand their family like they hoped to do.

By going through the portal, I would be gaining the love of my life. These three weeks away from Jimin had been the hardest of my life and I didn't think I could live without him.

I thought that I'd been in love before, with Daniel, Nate and Tom. Although through the unconditional love I received from my blonde boyfriend, I knew that what I had with those men wasn't a love that completed me. I'd always held part of myself back in relationships—it was my way of having a part of me that would not shatter if I got my heart broken. But with my Jiminie, I loved him with my entire being. There was not even one iota of myself that I held back from him. He had my heart, mind, body and soul, and I hoped that my sister would also find a love as great as mine.

꧁♥💜♥꧂

When Esther and I had returned to the Sunshine Coast from our shopping trip, we had stopped off at Aiden's place so I could pack the rest of my belongings that I wanted to take with me on my journey. As I took the duffle bag into the room I was staying in, I heard her rummaging in the kitchen. She came back with a bottle of wine in one hand, two glasses in the other and a bag of chips nestled in the crook of her arm. As I removed from the duffle bag all the things I had purchased today and placed them on the bed, I could hear the top being removed from the bottle and the crimson liquid filling the glasses.

"Here's to us," Esther toasted after handing me one of the glass goblets. "May we both live long lives that are filled with people dear to us, never-ending happiness and the greatest of loves."

I clinked my glass to hers. The soft tinkle sound was a sign I agreed with every word of her toast. "I hope for the same thing for you, too. Bubbles, before there's any talk of love and partying, we need to pack my shit up."

"Seriously? I say all these sweet things and all you can do is boss me around and get me to play your little servant?" I laughed, knowing that Esther was sassing me because she was in her feelings. I placed my wine down on the bedside table, walked over to the bed where she was sitting and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug.

"Don't tell the others this, and if it does slip out tonight then I will deny every word. But I am going to miss you most of all," I whispered into her hair, which smelled of sweet peaches. Even though I didn't like the fruit, the smell always made me smile because it reminded me of my sister. "I will miss Mum and Dad, Aiden, Christof and Caleb, and even the girls. You're all important to me and I love you all dearly. But only you have the power to make me stay here.

"As long as I am still breathing and my heart is still beating, you will forever be in my heart and by my side. No matter what, Bubbles, you will always hold a special place in my thoughts and my life. And when that day comes for me to join Nana Betty and Grandpa Jack—hopefully very far in the future mind you—I will be looking over you like your guardian angel.

"Esther, you are not only my sister but the other part of my soul. I know you are destined for greatness. Even though I won't be here in person, you bet your arse that I will be cheering for you about everything you achieve. You'll be okay without me. Just promise me that you will live your life to the fullest. Open your heart to life, and love with every fibre of your being."

Esther moved backwards a little bit so she could look into my eyes. It often felt like I was looking into a slightly warped mirror. Our appearances looked so similar but there were differences if you looked close enough. "I promise, Squish. As long as you promise to find a way to live a long, long life with that adorable hunk of yours." I giggled at the way Esther authoritatively pointed her finger. It would have looked sterner if she wasn't blubbering from my heartfelt words to her. "Now, enough of this sappy shit. Let's pack your bags so we can go get drunk!"

It took us an hour of using our Tetris skills to cram everything into the duffle bag. It felt strange seeing my life packed into one large bag. Excitement surged through my veins. I reminded myself that by this time tomorrow, I would (hopefully) be back with my boyfriend. There, we could (hopefully) live a long life together.

And if the portal didn't take me back to Jimin? Well, that was Future Nell's problem to figure out.