The first sign that I was not in my universe was the bitterly cold wind. Shivers ran down my spine, which chilled me to the core. Gone were the heat, humidity and smells of the Australian bush. Instead, I found myself standing on top of the stairs that were now placed in a field of snow. My heart leapt in joy at the thought of being reunited with Jimin, and as I began my descent down the steps, I froze.

I was here... But not alone.

Standing on the last step, shivering from the biting wind, was my twin sister. Panic ran through me as I rushed down the steps towards her. I had no idea she was still on the staircase as I said the words, nor that she could also be transported the same way I was. As I slipped the winter coat over her shaking shoulders, I murmured a rushed chant of 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

"N-N-Nell, wha-at's h-happening?" Esther's question was broken by her uncontrollable stuttering from all her shivering. "Whe-ere are w-we? H-h-how d-d-d-d-id I get h-h-here?"

I engulfed her in my arms as I tried to pass some of my body heat into her. All I felt was an immense sense of worry. Guilt and panic rose within me as I tried to prevent her from going into shock from the cold. Esther was dressed for the summer heat—the short shorts and thin t-shirt she wore provided no warmth from the cold. Her lips were turning a similar shade of blue as the dress that I wore.

I yanked the cosy woollen dress over my head; the thermals I wore underneath kept me warm enough that I didn't need the other layer. I slipped the coat from my sister's shoulders and dressed her in the blue garment. As I was slipping the coat back on over the top, I heard a shocked gasp, followed by hurried footsteps crunching over the snow.

"Baby? Have I been missing you so much that I'm seeing double?" Jimin sounded confused as he took in the sight of not only me on the stairs in his universe but also my twin sister.

"Jiminie, help me warm her up, please," I pleaded, trying to convey the urgency of the situation. My voice shook as I frantically tried to soothe my frightened sister and warm her up. I wanted to cry as Jimin ran in the opposite direction.

Was he abandoning me as soon as I had come back to him?

I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw him coming back. My breath billowed from my body like a plume of smoke.

"Here, use these," he said, handing over the large bundle of blankets, "And see if you can get her to drink this. It will warm her from the inside out."

I grabbed the thermos and poured some of the steaming liquid into the accompanying cup. The aroma was unmistakable; it was the scent of pine needle tea, which he frequently brewed for me as a preventative measure against illness during the colder months I'd spent with him. I brought the cup to Esther's lips and helped her take in the hot beverage. I was able to encourage her to drink about half of the tea, which brought back the natural pink hue to her lips.

I sank onto the step and sighed in relief that she was warming up. It gave me the chance to take in my boyfriend's appearance, who sat on the other side of my sister. I hated that Jimin looked thinner than he had when I left. The first tear slipped past my waterline when I noticed the dark circles blemishing the beautiful skin beneath his eyes. I murmured apologies in both languages as I broke down into tears. If I had never climbed the stairs in Costa Rica, Jimin would never have met me, which would mean he wouldn't look like he'd been to hell and back while I was back in my universe. It would also mean that Esther wouldn't have been brought into my tangled web with me.

"Shhh, Sweetheart," Jimin whispered as he clambered over and pulled me into his chest. "What are you apologising for?"

It took me a few moments to calm down enough to answer him. "I was selfish to want to be with you... And now my sister has to pay the price for me coming back here."

"Sister? This—this is Esther?"

I nodded and was about to say more when I was interrupted. "Hi, Jimin. I've heard lots about you," Esther murmured.

I figured that she must've known we were talking about her based on Jimin saying her name, even though she understood not a single word of Korean. The adorable look of confusion that came across his face upon hearing her speak in English had both my sister and I giggling.

I translated what she had said. A groan slipped out as Jimin pulled both Esther and me into his arms. Even though he had lost weight, he was still very strong. "I'm so happy you are back, Nell," he whispered as he kissed my head. "I always felt so guilty keeping you from your family but now your family has come with you. This is the greatest day of my life."

As I gazed upward at my boyfriend, it seemed as though a choir of angels had begun to sing a symphony within my mind when I was graced with the most radiant and loving smile I had ever seen. Akin to those cinematic moments in romance films where the protagonists lean in towards each other in slow motion, both mine and Jimin's lips moved towards each other's. Before they could connect, though, a loud sound of someone clearing their throat rang out in the air. I whipped my head towards the noise and chuckled.

'I should've known he'd be here.'

"It's good to see you again, Elenor," the Oracle exclaimed with glee. The smile he wore radiated warmth against the cold; yet it held something else as well. It was as if he knew something we did not. "And please tell your sister that it is very nice to meet her too and that I had been expecting her."

Esther took in the man standing in front of us with wide eyes before she looked at me. I wasn't sure she had believed me when I'd said that Bang Si-Hyuk was the Oracle. Now that she was seeing it for herself, it was as if she realised that the truth was certainly stranger than fiction.

I translated his words for her, which was when I realised exactly what he had said. "What do you mean that you had been expecting her?" I asked cautiously as I stood and took my first step onto Korean soil in almost a month. I gestured for Jimin to keep Esther safe against him, despite feeling completely safe in the Oracle's presence.

"I meant exactly what I said," he replied cryptically. I was getting sick of being spoken to in riddles, which I think he understood because for once, I was given a straight answer. "The universes and Fate were righting what should have happened in the first place. Elenor, you were not the only one who was supposed to come through the stairs all those months ago. Because of one tiny change to Fate's plans, Esther was not with you when the portal brought you here."

My eyes widened as I thought back to that day in the jungle. Esther was about to join me at the top of the stairs to have our photo taken. Alejandro, the man who had been our driver, was about to take it for us but had been pulled away. Because he wasn't able to take our photo, Esther had offered to take mine first before we traded places.

'So, if Esther was the one who went up the stairs first instead of me, would that have meant that she would've been the one assigned to Jimin? Ugh, this is too much of a mind fuck.'

A voice was speaking, yet the words were indiscernible against the thunderous pounding of my heart, which echoed like a full band rather than a solitary drum. "Elenor?" the Oracle asked repeatedly until I was pulled back to reality. "Are you listening? I was apologising for deceiving you about why you needed to return to your universe. It wasn't so you could decide which place you called home. Instead, it was Fate stepping in to make sure its plan was back on track."

"And what plan is that?" Jimin piped up. I hadn't realised that both he and my sister had joined me on the ground. Both were listening intently to the conversation I was having, even though Esther couldn't understand.

"I will come back to that in a moment. First, I need to do something," the Oracle said. He walked over to my sister, gave her a card and asked me to tell her to read it out loud.

We all watched as Esther did what he said. Jimin and I both gasped in shock when she asked in fluent Korean what we had all been talking about. I felt Jimin slip his hand into mine as The Oracle spoke to my sister.

Hi," whispered my blonde boyfriend, planting a kiss on my cheek. "I've missed you so much, Sweetheart."

It seemed like this wasn't the right time to tell him I felt the same because The Oracle interrupted our romantic moment. "What did you declare as your heart's deepest desire, Elenor?" the older man inquired. As much as I wanted to kiss and hug Jimin, it would have to wait until this was over.

With a stabilising breath, I spoke the words that had brought me here. "My heart longs to be snuggled up beside Jimin as we gaze out at a playful scene in the backyard where children who resemble us both are running around, their laughter echoing in the air." Jimin must've been picturing the image in his head as I saw his eyes sparkle in delight.

The Oracle turned to my sister and asked, "And what did you wish for?"

I looked at Esther in shock. I was so caught up in trying to open the portal that I was unaware she was not only on the stairs but had also made a wish. "I wished for us both to be happy and for Nell to live a long life with the man she loves."

Bang Si-Hyuk smiled and nodded. It was clear that he still knew something that the three of us did not. Esther's request did not give any reason for her presence here, nor did it explain why Fate wanted her in this universe. She didn't wish to be with me. She didn't wish to meet the man I loved or see his universe. She had wished for me to have a long and happy life with Jimin.

"Don't you see it?" the Oracle asked, his eyes twinkling as if he was trying to telepathically tell us the answer. From my peripheral vision, I saw Jimin shaking his head as I murmured 'No'. "You will very soon. I am not allowed to tell you as that is for you to figure out," he stated, turning as if to walk away.

Once again, the Oracle was speaking in riddles and I loathed it; I just wanted to be told, for once, something without having to try and figure out the deeper meaning. Just as I was about to voice this, he opened his mouth to speak again, and I hoped it wasn't in circles. "I have seen everything, and this is the path that Fate had always intended to happen. Jimin, it might pay to take them to the cottage straight away as you should keep Esther's identity hidden. You never know who is watching.

"And Esther, remember what I told you." With a final bow, Si-Hyuk turned and began his walk away from us as he called out, "Ladies, welcome home."

I was rooted in my place like a tree frozen throughout the centuries while I tried to wrap my head around everything that had happened within the last hour. With the help of magic and Fate, I had teleported from a place of scorching heat and humidity to one that was like an ice tundra. That was easier to wrap my head around than when I was told that both Esther and I were meant to be here all those months ago. If Fate had intended for us to end up in this situation, it would have been helpful to receive a warning beforehand. That way, my sister could have had the chance to say goodbye to our family as well.

As I thought of our family, my eyes went wide, and my throat constricted. I felt like I couldn't breathe. The guilt and anguish of what they would go through shortly weighed heavily on my heart. Feeling tense all over, my body was wound up like a tightly coiled spring, making it difficult to stand still without feeling physical discomfort. In an attempt to alleviate the pain and release pent-up emotions, I started pacing back and forth across the snowy ground.

As I stravaiged across the snow-laden ground, I pictured the last moments with my family. Before Esther and I got into her car to leave, she had promised to stop in at our parent's house to let them know what had happened. If the portal chose for me to remain in my universe, we would have both gone there as I would've needed the comfort of my family to mourn what I lost with Jimin. Aiden had offered to come with us to the stairs. Although it was a touching offer, we had insisted that he and Caleb should go to the hospital to spend time bonding with Nellie. Dad had decided to stay home with our mother, whom I knew would be demolishing a box of chocolates and copious cups of coffee with her anxious wait.

'But they'll never know what happened to me because Esther is here.'

"Fate, you're a cruel fucking bitch!" I screamed out as my pacing became manic. With each step I took in the snow, the chilling thought of my family enduring another heart-wrenching crisis haunted me. Once again, they would be plunged into turmoil from the disappearance of another child. "Couldn't you have given us a heads-up so she could say goodbye? Do you consider the impact on others when you carry out your plan? Or do you just sit there laughing at us like we're your poor little pawns?"

I crumpled to the ground as sobs took over me. I was ecstatic to be back with my Jiminie—did it need to come with such a steep cost to my family, though? They had now lost their two beloved daughters, sisters or aunts in one instant.

"Do... do you not want to be here?" the man I'd missed so much asked with an emotion-laden voice. Upon hearing how small Jimin sounded, a heavy wave of guilt crashed over me. It felt as though all his hopes and dreams had been crushed in one single moment because of my rant.

"Of course I do," I whispered. I could hear the words I spoke didn't truly express what I meant—the way I said them didn't match my feelings for him.

I pushed myself up from the ground and pivoted in my position. Tears streamed down Jimin's cheeks like they did on my face. His eyes glistened with sadness and uncertainty. Knowing that I was the reason behind the situation was as painful as being stabbed with a sharp icicle. The cold realisation seeped through me, making me shiver with regret and guilt.

"Park Jimin, there's nowhere I want to be more than with you." My voice was soft, yet it held all the conviction and love I had in my body. "You are my love, my best friend, my future. You're my everything and I'm sorry if I made you doubt that for even a second.

"I am angry at Fate, the universes... whomever it was who brought me here. I am so happy to be here with you but I'm angry because my family has now lost both of us. Esther didn't have a say in whether she wanted to come or not. While I had time to sort everything out in my life back there, my sister didn't."

Jimin held me as I burst into tears again. He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of my nose as his hand rubbed my back. I jumped as I felt another hand begin to rub my arm.

"Squish, this isn't your fault. If anyone is to blame—apart from Fate, that is—it's me," Esther admitted shyly. I couldn't tell whether the pink that dusted her cheeks and nose was from the cold or her admission. "As you were standing at the top of the stairs, I looked back and wished for us both to be happy. I thought about how I didn't want to be where you weren't because I'm happiest with you."

I launched myself at my sister and Jimin had to hold Esther up so we wouldn't fall into the cold snow. "I do have one more confession to make before we heed Bang Si-Hyuk's words. And on a side note, I'm sorry I didn't believe you in that he's the Oracle." As Esther giggled, her breath came out in puffs as the temperature began dropping. "I think part of me knew deep down that I was supposed to be here with you. I had a dream a couple of nights ago that I was... Well, there are some things I'm not allowed to tell you both because it was a vision of what's to come."

I was shocked. Esther had not told me any of this. I understood why she kept it to herself, though—I would have done the same.

"It was such a vivid dream. When I woke up, I wrote a letter in case I didn't return from taking you to the stairs." My head began to spin more. "I left it in my apartment, along with my will. I've had one ever since I started my job in case anything happened to me on a shoot."

I'd forgotten that she had done up her final will as soon as she'd gotten her job as a freelance photographer. She also had a living will that listed all her wishes if she was not able to make those decisions herself. Esther was always the more pragmatic one out of the two of us when it came to those sorts of things.

"Where did you leave it?" I asked. I hadn't seen a letter this morning in the room we'd shared.

"I sent Christof a message when you were changing. I had left the book he wanted to read in the room you slept in at his place and the letter is with that. I figured that if I was wrong and I wasn't brought with you, then I could tell him to disregard anything I had written. But since it did come true, everyone will know that I am with you. Squish, you don't need to feel bad about them not knowing."

One of my worries had been eliminated, but another still loomed over my head. Now that Esther was here, I had to keep two things hidden: her, and the fact that I was unable to bear children of my own. I felt sorry for Future Nell with how she was going to keep those two massive things a secret.