The Other Side: A Second Chance

My body ached and burned as I clambered my way out of the burrow. I had been resting in it for how many days? Four maybe? I thought. I did fall asleep again, so maybe five?

As I reached the canvas tarp concealing the entrance, I pushed it out of the way and crawled onto the dew-soaked grass. It looked to be early morning; the early spring air was crisp yet not too cold. As I stood up and shivered, I glanced down and noticed I was wearing what seemed to be nothing but a white nightgown.

I saw no clothes down there. I wish I was given something else. I shuddered as I glanced around my surroundings.

We seem to be in the forest like Mother said. Nothing overly dense; the large Sycora trees were nicely spaced apart by a few feet, leaving room for travel and large creatures like striders to maneuver. At first, this was all I saw—nature all around—until I turned around.

Behind me, I saw what looked to be dozens of tents and a few large wagons covered in foliage at the far end of this refugee camp I seemed to have found myself in. I didn't see many people, save for a couple of strangers around one of the few remaining fires and a man at the very far end, on top of a fallen log, wielding a rifle. A lookout, I assumed.

"Well, I'll be." I heard an older woman's voice from somewhere off to my left.

I turned and looked to see an old halfling woman, no taller than about two feet, hunched over and waddling her way out of the tent.

My eyes widened as I observed the woman. Due to my reclusive nature, even since coming to this world, I rarely left the house and hadn't met a halfling before, aside from the few events my family held or went to.

"You're Ashflow's daughter, aren't you? Looking much healthier!" She gave me a wide smile, revealing a couple of missing teeth.

I gulped and nervously nodded my head as I looked down at her. "Th-thank you Miss—"

"Miss Peabottom!" She clapped her hands together. "Though most people here have been calling me Granny, I don't mind it; it's what my great, great, great, great grandbabies call me. Heard so much, it's practically my second name."

I blinked a couple of times and nodded. "R-right. Thank you, Granny. H-have you seen my parents?"

The older woman stroked her pointed chin, and her little knife-shaped ears twitched slightly. "If I recall, Mr. Ashflow went out with a few of the lads to Mayburry. A village that is not too far from here." She pointed in the direction, but honestly, I couldn't tell since I never had the time to orient myself.

"As for your mother," Granny stroked her chin some more. "I believe she went out with the serelli woman to forage for herbs with Dr. Kegan."

I nodded slowly. "What about my brother? His name is Varis. He's really tall and has a blue and green eye," I described, raising my hand for his height as Granny nodded.

"He should be right over yonder." She pointed back toward the camp. "That man with the rifle—behind him there's a patched tent. It should be where your brother, along with the other youngsters,"

I smiled. "Thank you, Granny; you sure know a lot!"

The old woman smiled. "We halflings pick up on a lot of things. Never forget a face or name." She hummed as I bowed my head politely before turning away.

"Now where are you getting off to?" The woman asked, and I stopped.

"To see my brother," I said plainly.

She shook her head. "Not looking like that, Missy; I can't have you walking out here half naked. Especially not with all the boys around here." Granny turned around and motioned for me to follow her. "In my rush, I packed a lot of useless junk I couldn't leave without. Though I think for a pretty girl like yourself, I'd feel okay parting with my daughter's old dress. Don't worry about sizing; my girl was tall, about your height, before she left with that bastard Gerald."

I'm not even going to ask about that.

"Ah, well, if you're offering to share, I won't say no." I smiled and followed behind her.

Granny led me into her tent, which, compared to her, was large. A few bedrolls and tons and tons of bags of luggage and items lay scattered about. I noticed beside her bedroll was another empty one and glanced over to the halfling as she sat on her knees across from it, rummaging through bags.

"Is it alright if I ask where you're from, Granny?" I asked as I came up beside her and winced as I tried to squat down, but my thighs said no.

Granny didn't answer immediately, she mumbled a few words to herself as she looked over various old outfits she owned and tossed them aside. She then quickly glanced over her shoulder at me before looking back at the clothes.

"I came from Sonnenfeld, just over the Heinland Mountains near the border…" She took a deep breath and perked up before saying, "Here it is!"

Pulling out of her luggage, Granny turned to me and presented a cute dark gray dress with white sleeves and a pair of dark stockings. To top it off, she then grabbed a purple ascot and placed it on the dress as she handed it to me.

"Why don't you go try this on Dearie? It should be a perfect fit for you." She smiled at me.

I blushed faintly as she handed me the free clothes, and I took them. "Thank you, Granny. This means a lot." I bowed my head, and the old woman leaned up and patted it.

"I'm glad to help. I'll step right outside so you can get changed; if you need help, just ask!" With that, she waddled out of the tent, leaving me alone to change.

It took a bit of fiddling to get the dress on. The fitting wasn't entirely perfect, but there were a few loose ends I could handle, especially around the upper chest region, which I knew I was going to need with the stage of life I'm currently in. The only portion of the dress I struggled with was the ascot. Even in my prior life, I wore clip-on ties; God forbid, I ever learned how to tie one.

"Granny, I may need your help." I said this from over my shoulder, and after a few moments, the old woman joined me in her tent.

"Oooh, do you look so cute! I could pinch you for days!" The old woman said this as she pinched my side, causing me to yelp and squirm away.

She laughed and looked me up and down before asking, "What seems to be the issue, dearie?"

I gulped and stepped back, keeping my sides out of pinching range. "It's this ascot thing." I tugged at the purple fabric. "I don't know how to tie it."

The halfling woman smirked and waddled towards me and said, "Here, let me show you. Kneel down, please."

I got onto my knees as the woman came over to me. "You remind me much of my own daughter. She was never able to tie these darn things." She said softly as she adjusted the fabric around my neck and began to loop it over itself as she began to tie the knot.

At first, I said nothing, too afraid to say anything and sound stupid, yet the awkward silence did nothing but fuel my anxiety more. So, to fill the silence, I asked, "You said your daughter went away; can I ask where she went?"

Granny sighed softly before smiling. "Thankfully safe in Yankston. If there's one good thing about her running off with that rich jerk, it's that she's far from here."

I smiled gently. "Nice to hear some good news." Granny nodded as she finished tying the ascot and tucked it into the collar of my dress. "There we go, all nice and cute again." She hummed.

I glanced down at myself and smiled lightly. If only I could have my hair back, though. I sighed softly.

"Something wrong, dearie?" Granny asked.

I blinked. Shit, I didn't mean to sigh out loud. I blushed and ran a hand through my sparse hair and bald head.

"I just wish I didn't lose all my hair," I said softly.

Granny took a deep breath and said, "I can understand that, hon. But it'll grow back; give it time. Though your mother told me that you're all going to Johanneson, knowing those big cities, I'm sure there might be a pharmacy with a tonic that can help it grow faster."

That might be true, I thought to myself. My mother may not have the special treatment, but someone else might. Hopefully, it isn't expensive if there is such a thing. Just another thing to add to my bucket list.

"Thank you, Granny. You're very kind." I said, and Granny beamed at me.

"It's about all I have left to give in this world, Dearie! Now go on; I don't want to keep you from your folks too long." Granny shooed me out of her tent.

On my way out, I bowed once more before turning around to come face-to-face with a girl about the same height as me holding a covered wicker basket.

The girl was human; her hair was short and blonde, and she had large green eyes. She was wearing a dirty black and white dress that went past her knees, where she had white stockings, or what was once white. Now they were caked in mud and dirt.

She looked familiar as I looked into her terrified eyes. I could immediately tell she was looking at my partially bald head. I get it; I look like a monster. I sighed.

Who the hell is she? I swear, I've seen her before around Oren.

The girl gulped. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to stare." Her voice was feathery, light, and timid.

I took a deep breath. "It's fine. I know it looks gross."

"N-No it isn't!" The girl sputtered, and I simply looked at her, and she deflated. "So-sorry."

I smirked and shook my head. She's got a kind heart for a kid; I'll give her that.

"Don't be… say, have I seen you before?" I asked her as I squinted. "You're from Oren, right?"

The girl nodded. "Y-Yes. I'm Mila, Mila Hautckins."

I snapped my finger. Bingo!

"That's right!" I smiled. I never really hung out with the Hautchkin kids; that was mostly Varis. I just stayed home and read. Though the handful of times I have been out, I recall Mila and Brother walking to school and such.

"Mila, I'm Luna!" I held my hand out to her.

Mila's doe-like eyes looked at my hand, and she nervously reached out and took it. "Hello, Luna. I remember you from Varis's birthday."

Oh shit, they were there too. I should've mingled more rather than sticking around my mother and father.

I smiled gently at her as I shook her hand gently and released it. "Well, it's nice to properly meet you, Mila." I bowed my head gently.

Mila blushed faintly and nodded. "Y-yeah, it's nice to meet you too." She rubbed her hand and said, "You speak very properly, much better than all the other girls."

I straightened up and blinked before my very own blush appeared on my cheeks. "I, uh, had a very strict teacher," I said with a chuckle.

Mila smiled a little and said, "You too? Madam Drache was very mean at our school."

I gulped. How do I respond to this? How do other kids talk to each other? Should I talk to her like my old nephew?

"Y-Yeah?" I said as I tried to sound interested. "Well, I'm sure it wasn't so bad. Heh."

I'm terrible at this. Why is she looking at me like that?

Mila raised an eyebrow and kept her hand on her hip as I continued, "I'm sorry, but I need to check on my brother."

Mila's eyes widened. "Varis? I'm actually going to him right now."

I stopped and tilted my head. "Oh?"

Mila nodded and gave me a soft smile. "Yep. Momma caught the boys getting all muddy and sent them to the river to get cleaned up. I got these bars of soap if you want to come with me." She looked at me, and her smile widened.

I opened my mouth to speak but stopped when I noticed something off about her eyes. It had a slight twitch, and as I looked over her expression again, I got the idea she wanted me to come along desperately.

Poor thing. She needs a friend. I bit my lower lip, glanced in the direction she was heading, and said, "Yeah, I can come along." I returned her smile, and almost instantly I noticed she relaxed.

I glanced at the basket she was holding, her arms looking strained. I looked back up at her and pointed to the basket. "Would you like me to carry the basket?"

Mila shook her head. "No, I got it. Come on, they're this way." Mila took the lead as she walked towards the edge of the small clearing. She stepped around the foliage as I followed in her tracks.

"So how was going to school?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

Oh, fuck, why did I ask that? I sound like an old fart!

Mila snorted and glanced over at me. "It was really easy! Most of the others were super nice, and there were a lot of cute boys! But Mrs. Drache didn't like us girls talking to them." She sighed. "And a lot of the other girls were mean too."

Oh, I could relate to that. Kids have always been nasty. I had moved a lot back in my old life. Due to my original parents' jobs, we've always moved. Eighteen times in one year, to be exact. And at every school I went to, it was always the same. Except the boys were more physical than the girls.

"Where did you go to school?" Mila asked me. "Were you homeschooled like Varis?" We both grunted as we clambered over a large fallen tree and dropped into a small mud puddle.

I sighed and patted some of the splashed mud off of my new skirt. "Yep. We did live in the same house after all."

Mila thought about this for a second and then smirked. "Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense." She giggled. "Did you like it?"

I smiled upon hearing her giggle and said, "It was okay. Isa is very kind but can be strict. I also mean it if you make her mad, but that was always Varis. She never got mad at me." We continued onward, the forest becoming thicker with vegetation, and I could smell water.

Mila turned to face me and continued walking backward as we moved. "Isa? Your teacher lets you call her by her first name?"

I shook my head. "Not during school time. She gets mad if I don't refer to her properly during that time. But when class is out, we go on a first-name basis—"

Distant eruptions followed by a low rumbling echoed in the far distance, and I stopped and froze. Even Mila flinched, but she seemed calm as she looked at me. Yet I wasn't. I closed my eyes, and visions of the nightmare, followed by the horrific events at Oren, flashed before my mind. My heart began to beat heavily, and I trembled.

Mila blinked and stepped towards me as she held a hand out and gently rested it on my arm. "It's okay, Luna; Papa told me the fighting is still far off," she said as the distant sounds of artillery began to fade.

I hadn't realized it yet, but tears that leaked from my eyes ran down my cheeks. I took a few shallow breaths as Mila gently rubbed my arms, and I said, "Th-thank you. I-I know, but…" I sniffed. "It's scary."

I know this is happening; I expect this stuff to happen. Yet why? Why am I just freezing up? I hate this. I have this mind and this consciousness, yet I still freak out like a child!

Mila nodded. "It is. It's been happening for a while. Papa said the good guys got them stuck! And the dragons made their big sky ships go away!"

Dragons? Like actual dragons?

"Like flying dragons?" I asked her as I wiped my eyes.

Mila nodded. "Yeah! We saw them on Dawn's Day! There were so many of them flying over! Even big ones! Mr. Ashflow said it was the… Something air defense!" She exclaimed the last bit in a squeaky tone as her voice cracked.

I snorted and laughed softly. "I'm sure my papa said that." I sighed as the sound of rushing water and distant voices could be heard.

"Mhm! The bad guys don't have dragons, so Papa said, which means we might win!" She puffed her chest out, and I frowned.

I wouldn't get your hopes up, kid.

I sighed softly as we reached a new clearing, and my eyes widened as the riverbank leading into the Kenchala River itself came into view. It was beautiful. The sun beamed down from above, causing the crystal blue water to glisten, and overhanging it were the pink branches of the scyoras all around us. Their pink leaves occasionally come loose and fall onto the rolling waves of the flowing river. Further down, we could see a shallow portion leading up to the bank, and in it were both Varis and another boy I assumed was Avdol.

Both boys were stripped down to their underwear and quickly tried to rub what looked to be mud off their skin. As we got closer, I saw Avdol gazing down at my brother. He was a tall kid, much taller than Varis and maybe even a year older. His hair was long and blonde and flowed down to his shoulders. His intimidating green eyes looked down at my brother and said, "I'm sorry." He held his hand out.

Varis glanced up at him, sighed, and took it, and Avdol helped him to his feet. "It's okay," Varis said softly. "We both got heated." He turned and froze up when he saw Mila and me. "What're you two doing here—Luna?"

I smiled faintly. "Hi, Varis." I squeaked out as my brother stepped out of the water and began walking onto the grass.

"You're actually okay?" He asked softly. "Your hair is also…"

"It's gone, I know…" I groaned with embarrassment. "But yes. I'm still sore, but Momma's magic helped me again—gyak!"

I screeched as Varis wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a bear hug. Immediately, my back cracked in three different places as he held me tight.

"This needs to stop!" Varis said it in a gruff yet happy voice. "Twice now, you got super hurt! I was scared!"

I blushed deeply and sighed as he released me. I coughed and caught my breath before saying, "I know… I'm sorry! But I'm good now." I straightened up and blinked.

Oh wow, my back feels much better now.

Varis nodded and smiled at me. "Good, now stay that way! Also, your hair looks fine." Instinctively, I reached up to my head but only found baldness and unburnt patches of hair.

I'll need to ask Father if he can just shave the rest entirely.

Varis smirked and turned away from Mila, who was already passing bars of soap to Avdol, who took them before tossing a free bar to Varis, who caught it with ease.

"So what happened to you two? I heard you got super dirty. Were you working?" I asked Varis as he began to wade back out into the cold water.

"Avdol and I got into a scuffle." Varis said as he stood beside him and began to wash himself properly.

"Little twerp here kept running his mouth." Avdol said but smiled. "So I showed him what happens to those who don't be quiet."

"And I blew your butt away with magic! Like I said, I could do!" Varis puffed his chest. "And I'll do it again!"

Oh shit. He's showing off his spells?

"Varis, what did Mom and Dad say about using magic without them around? You know you get tired easily." I crossed my arms.

If I can't do spells without them around, neither can he. I'm not being a little ass; I'm just following the rules. Who'm I kidding? I'm just being a little shit.

Varis stuttered and turned to look at me. "He didn't believe me! He said I was lying!"

"And I still stand by; that was just a coincidence with the wind." Avdol said with a shit-eating grin as he shrugged.

Oh, you gaslighting piece of shit.

"Both of you just shut up." Mila splashed some water at them. "Get cleaned up, or else you're going to get a cold in that water!"

"Yeah, Ashflow, get out of the water so I can have more space." Avdol lightly shoved Varis, who irritatedly kicked a wave of water out at Avdol, who sputtered and returned the favor, and soon both of them were kicking water at each other.

"Okay! Okay!" I called out. "Break it up, love birds—" Something bobbed in the water.

I turned to look at what I just saw, but then something else came out of the corner of my eye, slightly further upstream. Something else bobbed, and another.

The guys, not listening to me, continued to splash each other in the water. Mila was also joining in, laughing as she raised her skirt and kicked water out to them.

"Get out of the water!" I shouted. "Get out!"

Immediately, all fun and games dropped as the three of them looked at me before scrambling to get out of the water upon seeing my horrified face. There weren't creatures in the water.

 

It was people.

 

Drifting along the water, tens of dozens of bodies. Corpses. Drifted down the stream. Soldiers. Bakers. Constables. Elderly. Children. Beaten, bloodied, and burned. All of them drifted along the river. Catching up on the bank was the corpse of a young boy. Still, in his pajamas, he washed up on the shore, his pudgy, water-soaked face in the dirt.

Mila screamed in horror and fell back onto the rocks, kicking and screaming as her brother rushed over to her and shielded her body with his. Varis stood at the shore, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.

In the distance, the explosions of artillery echoed over the trees as another bout of fighting erupted in the distance.

"What's wrong?! Children!" The sound of my mother's voice caught my ear, and breaking through the underbrush rushed Momma and Isa.

"By the divine." Isa said as she came to a stop, her voice filled with terror upon seeing the river.

Seeing I was already in a safe spot, Mother said, "Go to Isa, now!" She then turned and rushed to Varis. "Varis, look at me, are you okay?"

I turned away and went over to Isa, who motioned for me to stay put and went down over to Mila, who was still screaming.

They dumped them in the river… They dumped these people in the river. My eyes looked back at the corpses going downstream. Most of these aren't even soldiers. They're people; these are just people. Why?

Isa assisted in getting the hysterical Mila off the ground and away from the river of the dead and brought her back over to me. Meanwhile, my mother was still kneeling before Varis as she tried to console him. After a moment, she hesitantly took his hand and turned him away from the horrific sight. As Varis turned, I saw a face I had never seen before.

Tears streaked down his face, his jaw clenched, and his teeth bared. Yet in his eyes, I saw raw fury. His free hand balled into a tight fist, and I feared he was going to cut his hand with his nails.

"Come on, kids. We're going back to the camp." Mother said. "Isa, go try and find Kegan. He's probably lost."

Isa nodded. "Stay with Mrs. Ashflow," she said to Avdol and Mila. "I'll be back!" Isa nodded and turned before leaping onto a nearby tree and deftly leaping to another, all within a couple of seconds.

Far off, the artillery fire crescendo, the conflict raging and escalating in intensity. "Follow me, children," Mother said. "Stay close. Do not look back."

She didn't need to tell us that, and with one hand I reached out to grab Varis's gently, and with the other, I reached out to grab onto Mila, who was still sobbing. We began to follow Mother as a horrifying silence fell over us. The distant sound of the rushing river is no longer as soothing as I once thought it to be.

A new explosion echoed far off. A noise I hadn't heard. If I had to put a sound to it, it sounded like reverb. Like a low electronic buzz that built up into a loud, reverberating bang! The only thing I could assume it to be was some form of large magical spell going off.

"Sounds like things are getting intense," Avdol said gruffly as we traveled.

"It is," my mother admitted.

"But Papa said the dragons would help us win!" Mila sobbed.

Mother glanced back, and I could see on her face the pity she felt for the little girl. She grimaced and looked forward. "I won't sugarcoat it. But it's not good. We'll be leaving as soon as your parents and my husband get back. So start packing when we get back."

As soon as we reached the main camp, many adults and strangers I had never seen before rushed towards us.

"What's happening?" A man shouted.

"Is it the invaders? Where are the children?" A woman called out.

"The children are safe," Mother said to them. "But we won't be for long. The Invaders will be here soon."

"How soon?" Granny asked as she approached.

"My husband isn't even back from Mayburry yet!" A Dwarven woman and her kids called out.

"I know!" Mother held her hands out to get everyone's attention. "We won't leave until they're back. But we need to start packing immediately. The river is no longer safe; the children found corpses. Hundreds, drifting down stream."

Gasps and choked sobs filled the small crowd.

"The Rusivites are tainting our water, and they're nearby." Mother explained, "If you had gathered any water from the river, let me know, and I'll try and purify it tonight."

Everyone in the camp began nodding and rushing back to their tents. Mother turned to Varis and me as Isa led the other two back to their tents. Mother knelt and gripped both of our shoulders.

"How are you two feeling?" She asked.

How am I feeling? That is what you ask now.

I took a shaky breath and said, "N-Not great."

Varis growled. "Why, why are they doing this to us?" He whispered, and our mother looked at him and sighed.

"I don't know, sweetie. Now, c'mon, let's get to our tents and pack."

Biting my lower lip I looked back out in the direction of the river. Flashes of the bodies still fresh in my memory caused me to bite my lower lip and turn to follow my mother and Varis. Far off, the sounds of conflict continued to rage, with distant flashes visible on the horizon as the Rusitive War Machine continued its relentless march.