Chapter Text
¨Why does it always have to be before I've had any coffee?!¨ Tim yelled to the sky over the roaring of the portal as it sucked everything around it into its swirling blue void. It was getting harder and harder to keep my steady footing, even with the years of training from my father. Suddenly, from behind me, a bookshelf swept my feet out from under me, and I was sucked into the portal. The good thing is that the swirling mass should only put me somewhere on Earth. So when I fell out of the portal and looked around and saw the square, that looked like one of those dreams you only half remember after staying awake way too long. Everything blurred in that strange late-autumn light, the sky, dark blue and heavy as if it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to snow or rain. The fountain in the middle kept spilling water in soft, endless streams, and for some reason, the sound felt louder than the city surrounding it.
Dead leaves stuck to wet pathways, crushed into the stone like minuscule stains of gold and brown. The trees overhead were mostly bare, their branches clawing at the sky while the last few leaves trembled in the cold wind. Warm yellow light spilled from the windows of the old buildings surrounding the square, making them look unreal, almost as if a painter had traveled only to run their brush across the square, like something out of a postcard when it had been left out in the rain for too long.
Everything felt too quiet. Not silent…Paris was never silent but muffled, distant, like the whole world had been wrapped in heavy blankets. Tim blinked hard, exhausted eyes burning as he stared at the fountain. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but the flowing water almost looked frozen in time, suspended between one second and the next. I saw a girl walking towards me. She had black hair that looked almost dark blue in the faded sun. She wore a simple white sundress with a black belt, a black jacket with golden embellishments, and golden jewelry that looked too simple on her. But what I then noticed was that she looked tired, almost as tired as I did on my worst days. The portal had drained almost all of my energy, and I collapsed forward, but she caught me. Supporting most of my weight, she seemed tall and had blue hair. Odd, but then again his brother has a pet anteater. Damm, she was strong. Oh, she's talking.
¨ -Whoa, hey, you alright?¨ she said. She paused, her eyes searching my face.
¨You look like me on my worst days¨ she smiled ¨I did not think that was possible. Let me take you back to my bakery and get you something warm to drink.¨