The world spun around them in a blur of blue and yellow light. William, Leo, Alliah, and Brie were tossed and twisted inside the portal. Old artifacts and papers from the lab whirled around them like leaves in a storm, cold and lifeless, contrasting sharply with the chaos of their human panic.
"I did not sign up for this!" Leo yelled, flailing his arms as he slammed into a floating table. "I WANNA GO HOME!"
Brie screamed, her voice high and desperate. "WILLIAM! YOU'RE DEAD!!"
Alliah's violet hair whipped around her face as she tried to steady herself. "WILLIAM, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
William gritted his teeth, trying to stay calm despite his stomach twisting in panic. Everything was a blank—no sense of where they were or how the portal worked—but he forced himself to speak.
"I… I don't know! I just… I placed the emblem!" His voice trembled, betraying the thin veil of composure he was trying to hold.
Leo let out a dry, sarcastic laugh, even as he struggled to keep his footing. "Oh, sure, William. 'Just a harmless emblem.' Next time maybe try a firework instead. Really light up our day, huh?"
The portal's light grew blindingly bright, pulsing with force until everything went silent—and then BAM.
They hit the ground hard. Dirt sprayed, leaves skittered across uneven terrain, and fragments of lab artifacts tumbled down around them like giant, heavy snowflakes. One shard of an old sculpture nearly struck William's head, clattering harmlessly beside him. Another paper landed on Brie's shoulder, spinning before settling.
Everyone scrambled to their feet, pulling at one another, but as William reached out for Alliah, she yanked her arm back and smacked his hand.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she shouted, eyes blazing.
"I didn't know!" William shouted, frustration and guilt colliding. "I was just trying to figure it out! The emblem—it—"
"All you did was almost get us killed!" Alliah yelled, stepping toward him, fists clenched. "Do you even think before you act?!"
"Hey! I did think—kind of!" William defended himself, taking a shaky step toward her. "I was just trying to figure it out!"
"Oh, so experimenting with ancient walls now, huh?" Alliah shot back, crossing her arms. "Really smart, William. Real smart!"
"Hey, hey! Let's calm down!" Leo interjected, still rolling his eyes but his tone more serious now. "Yes, William messed up. Yes, we almost got sucked into some interdimensional blender. But screaming at him like we're in a telenovela won't help!"
"Leo, this isn't a joke!" Alliah snapped, whirling on him.
Leo grinned despite the tension, shrugging. "Nope. Totally not a joke. Totally terrifying. But c'mon—look at us. Panicking isn't exactly a survival tactic."
Brie stepped between them, placing a hand gently on Alliah's arm. "Alliah… breathe. Look—we're alive. That's the important part. We can't fix this by yelling at each other."
Alliah's chest heaved as she struggled to calm herself, finally letting out a shaky sigh. "Fine… fine. I guess I overreacted. But William… you really need to think next time, remember, you know better. Just… don't ever do that again."
William lowered his head, rubbing the back of his neck, guilt weighing on him. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't know it would do this. I really didn't."
Leo nudged him with his elbow, smirking. "See? All better. You apologized. Now we can all start panicking together. Team bonding, right?"
Brie rolled her eyes, but her smile reassured William. "Let's just focus on standing first," she said softly, tugging him gently to steady his balance.
The group stood on the dirt and leaves, surrounded by remnants of floating papers and broken artifacts, trying to catch their breath. William's hands still trembled slightly as he glanced around.
"Okay…" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Everyone alright?"
"We're alive," Alliah said curtly, though the faintest smirk played on her lips.
"Barely," Leo said, brushing dirt off his shoulder. "But alive. That's progress."
"Alive is good," Brie said softly, squeezing William's arm for reassurance.
William exhaled slowly, trying to center himself. "Okay… then. Let's figure out where the heck we are—and how to get out of this."
They all brushed themselves off, checking for cuts, bruises, and—most importantly—their sanity. Dirt and leaves clung to their clothes, and fragments of lab papers littered the ground. Finally, they took in their surroundings.
"What the…?" William muttered, looking around. Towering trees surrounded them, sunlight streaming through the canopy in dappled golden patterns. Birds chirped somewhere above, and the air smelled crisp and fresh.
Leo whistled low. "Well… this is new. Don't get me wrong—I love the outdoors—but last time I checked, our 'after-school lab chaos' didn't include full-on forest survival mode."
"Full-on forest survival mode?" Brie echoed with a soft laugh. "Leo, you sound like you're narrating a camping show."
"Oh, come on," Leo said, flashing a grin. "I am the cool outdoors expert. Nature is my playground. Just… didn't expect it to be daytime. Or… morning?" He squinted at the sun, gesturing dramatically. "Seriously—check the shadows. It's bright! It's sunny! It's… cheerful. What happened to nighttime? Wasn't it literally nighttime fifteen minutes ago?"
Alliah squinted at the sun, frowning. "I… don't know," she admitted, her voice calm but tense. "We were in the lab at night. That's a fact. Now it's daytime. That's also a fact. Beyond that… I can't explain why. I can only observe what I see and note that the time doesn't match our expectations. That's all we can work with for now."
Leo's grin widened. "Translation: we have no clue, but let's all panic anyway!"
Brie giggled softly, shaking her head, but kept quiet, letting Alliah's calm tone anchor them a little.
"All we know for sure is what we can observe," Alliah continued, folding her arms. "The sunlight is bright, the forest is real enough to touch, and none of us are hurt beyond minor bruises. Everything else… we just don't have information for yet."
Leo raised his eyebrows dramatically. "Information. Right. So basically, this is my survival guide: Step 1—don't die. Step 2—don't ask questions you won't get answers for. Step 3—laugh at everything. Step 4—wait for William to speculate wildly."
William rubbed his forehead, Alliah sighed softly. "We can only take things as they come. We can make hypotheses based on what we see, but we can't assume anything about… whatever got us here. Not yet."
Leo perked up. "I like that. Hypothesize! The sciencey part of the adventure! Step 5—make jokes while being almost professional. Got it."
Brie smiled faintly, squeezing William's hand. "At least we're staying calm… logically, that's something."
Leo spun around dramatically, pointing at the dense forest. "Next big question then: anyone know why we're in a forest? Because last I checked, we were in the lab fifteen minutes ago. Fifteen! Not three hours of magical mystery hiking!"
Alliah's eyes swept the surroundings, taking in the uneven terrain, the fallen leaves, and scattered debris from the portal. "I… don't know. All I can do is record our position, note any features of the environment, and watch for changes. Until we gather more evidence, I can't say more than that. It's illogical to guess without data."
Leo threw his arms up. "Translation: we're screwed. But also, very organized. I like it."
Brie nodded, quietly appreciating Alliah's focus. "At least we're being careful."
William hesitated, then lowered his voice, a spark of possibility lighting in his eyes. "What if… we got teleported?"
His friends all turned to him simultaneously.
Alliah's jaw tightened slightly. Then she let out a slow exhale and muttered, almost reluctantly, "If we're going to suggest anything, that's… probably the only explanation that makes sense, given the fall and there was an actual portal that literally sucked us in. I can't verify it, but… yes. Teleportation fits the evidence we have."
Leo clapped William on the shoulder. "Well, I'll be. Crazy idea… totally makes sense."
Brie smiled softly, squeezing William's hand. "It fits with what we've experienced. That actually makes me feel a little better… logically, at least."
William nodded. "Okay… teleportation. That explains some things. Still doesn't explain everything… but at least it's a start."
Alliah folded her arms, eyes sweeping the forest again. "Start, yes. But we need to keep our heads and observe. Take notes, gather data. That's all we can do until we learn more about this place."
Leo groaned. "Fine. Lead the way, Professor Alliah. Just don't expect me to stop cracking jokes the whole time."
Brie rolled her eyes but smiled. "I wouldn't want you to, Leo. Someone has to keep the mood alive."
And with that, the group cautiously moved forward, stepping into the unknown forest, sunlight dappling their path.
The group walked in the direction Alliah had chosen, their steps cautious and measured. For a few moments, they were silent, letting the forest noises fill the gaps—the rustling leaves, distant bird calls, and the occasional crack of a twig underfoot.
Then William stopped abruptly, blinking at the sunlight streaming through the canopy. "Wait… did we really just forget something?"
Alliah's brow furrowed. "Forgot… what?"
William looked around, incredulous. "Guys… we have our phones with us! Did we just… ignore them?"
They all paused and exchanged wide-eyed glances, communicating an unspoken panic through their expressions alone.
Leo grinned nervously. "Oh. That. Yeah… maybe I was too busy being dramatic about surviving a death vortex. Totally forgot my phone was in my pocket."
Brie gasped and dug through her bag. "We need to check them! Now!"
Suddenly, like a synchronized cartoon gag, they all launched into frantic motion—hands flailing, bags opening, papers falling, leaves crunching beneath their feet—searching for their phones as if they were tiny golden tickets.
One by one, they raised their phones, breathing a small sigh of relief.
"They're all… working?" Brie said, incredulous, checking her screen.
"Looks like it," William said, tapping his screen to power it on. "Signal's weak but—" He stopped, frowning. "Wait. No bars."
Alliah had already pulled out her phone, typing furiously. "I tried texting my parents… no delivery confirmation. Not even a failed attempt. It's like… it's not connecting to anything."
Leo scrolled through his social media feed, letting out short, sharp laughs from time to time. "Oh, wow. Look at this one—I posted a picture of my cat last month, and someone actually commented 'nice whiskers.' Hilarious. And look at this meme—classic." He laughed again, louder this time. "Okay… okay, this is keeping me sane. Just scrolling through the last… three days of life like nothing happened."
Brie's face suddenly went pale. She held her phone out, trembling slightly. "Guys… what does the time say on your phone?"
William and Alliah exchanged glances, a creeping sense of dread spreading across their faces. They looked down at their phones—and froze.
William's voice caught in his throat. "It… it says 6:42 PM."
"It's… It's still evening?" Alliah whispered, her eyes wide.
Brie's hand shook as she pointed at everyone. "Leo, check yours—now."
Leo's laughter faltered. His thumbs paused mid-scroll. "Wait… what? I—what are you talking about?"
He stopped scrolling, expecting new posts to load… but nothing appeared. His feed was frozen in time, scrolling through old posts endlessly with no updates. His brow furrowed.
He looked around, noticing the silence. William, Alliah, and Brie were all staring at their phones, pale and frozen. "Guys… what's wrong? You all look like you've seen a ghost."
Brie's voice was barely audible. "Check the time. Look at your phone… now."
Leo frowned, confused, and lifted his phone. The screen lit up. He glanced at the time—and froze. His jaw went slack, eyes wide. "6:43 PM…?" he whispered, the words barely leaving his lips.
William's grip on his phone tightened, knuckles white. "It… it's still 6:43 PM. We were teleported, but… that makes no sense." Alliah's hands trembled slightly as she held her phone.
Brie's lips trembled. "It's like… time didn't pass, or something… but the sun is completely wrong. Everything… everything is off."
Leo's usual sarcasm faltered, replaced with taut seriousness. "Okay… This isn't funny."
William swallowed hard. "This just proves that my teleportation theory is correct. Maybe it teleported us to the far side of earth?"
"But the doesn't make sense, if it teleported us to the far side of earth, shouldn't we still be able to get signal?" Leo pointed out. "Leo's right aren't there like thousands of satellites already, it's impossible to not have at least 1 bar of signal!" Brie added. "Unless we are in one of those places where you can't get them." William added somehow making their situation worst. But deep-down William had an even disturbing theory.
Alliah's voice dropped to a whisper. "We… we need to stay calm. Keep observing. Everything we can see, everything we record… it might be the only evidence we have to figure out what's happening." Brie nodded quietly, clutching her phone to her chest. "We… we'll figure it out. Together."
Leo looked up at the canopy of trees, the unusually high sun glaring down on them. "Yeah… together. But seriously… I'm never getting used to this 'time and physics are broken' day. I need a coffee… or three." They all exhaled, standing in tense silence.