Chapter 3

"Wait! No! I mean..." She shook her head in denial when she heard the weirdest thing. She ran outside the gate and looked at the company logo, 'RC'   "You must be kidding me!" 

No, no, this ain't possible. It's just too absurd! How? Why? She paced back and forth. But... all the incidents ran through her mind, a locality she didn't recognize, clothes she didn't buy, her cards being rejected, the single-storied convenience store, encountering Reece Brown, her office had RC logo... O wait! This must be a dream, yes I must be dreaming, the last thing I remember, I was in my room and then I fell asleep, yes that's it, I am dreaming. She pinched herself to the point it hurt and she almost bled. "Why is it not working?" She panicked. 

"Okay let's do this again." She took a deep breath. "Let's figure out how did I end up here." She tried to recollect again. "The portal!" She shouted as she remembered. "Yes, that damned portal!" She shouted in joy having figured out the cause. Coming back to reality, she finally noticed people around her staring and murmuring.  "Sorry." She said with an awkward smile. "Ah! Damn! So embarrassing!" She hid her face and sneaked away. 

She reached the place, in front of the book store where she saw the portal. "It was here." She muttered as she begins to search for it. Okay, so how do we call the portal back? She thought.

"Abracadabra!" She shouted as she gestured with her hands in the air. Nothing happened. "Okay let's do this then."  

"I call for you, the portal!" She shouted again throwing her hands up in the air.

Nothing appeared. 

"Let's try something else." She nodded as she tried again. 

"Bombomsimbalajkmmmk! Choo!" She gestured again only to trip and fall on the ground. "Ouch!" She winced. "Nothing works!" She shouted hitting the ground. Just then her eyes met other, the same pair of hazel eyes, the same guy she encountered yesterday. He was peeking from the door of the book store, he came out and narrowed his eyes at her. 

 He took his phone out, "There's a runaway mental patient in front of my book store." 

"Hey!" She shouted as she stood up. "I'm not!" 

"Then why the hell are you creating a ruckus in front of my store? Woman, you're obstructing my business!" He glared at her. "Now shoo away before I call the police," warning her he went inside shutting the door on her face....again. 

"This rude mannerless guy!" She shouted. "wait we don't have time for this! I need to find my way back home." She sighed as she sat on the road. "Let's give it a go again!" She got up and tried to work up another spell. "Woooolakabombom....simbalakalumlum..." She was gesturing with her hands and lifting one leg when the door opened again, "Stop that!" The guy shouted. She stopped mid-air and oops she fell again. 

"Seriously?" His face furrowed as he clicked his tongue.

"Do that again and I'm sending you to an asylum." He went back inside, shutting the door behind him. 

Just then he heard the banging on the door, "This mad girl!" He rolled his eyes as he made his way to the door. As soon as he opened the door, she barged in, "Where's that old lady?" She shouted. 

"What?"

"You're with her aren't you?" She questioned pointing her index finger at him. 

"Who?" 

"Oh don't try to act smart and blurt it out. This shop, it's that very shop, where is that old lady who sold me the candles?"

"what candle? This is a book store, open your damn eyes and look around." 

"I don't want to look at anything, just call the lady for me and send me home." 

"Sure I will, I'm calling the asylum." He fished his phone out of his pocket.

"You think I'm scared of your fake threats? You call that lady out before I call the police." 

"Ah-huh?" He raised his brows. "Go on then, call the police." He sat on a chair leaning back, he crossed his arms.

She paused. "... I seriously would've called the police but I lost my phone." She lowered her voice.

"Here." He offered his phone.

"...." She stood there mute.

"Good, now out." He gestured towards the door.

"Can I still come here? Not inside but outside the store? It's my only way back home." She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

****

"So you're telling me, this is not the real world?" He paced around the room.

"Yes."

He stopped in front of her and frowned, "We're inside a novel?"

"hmm." She nodded.

"and you're the author?" He raised his brows.

"Yup."

"Okay." He nodded.

"You believe me?" She smiled.

He slowly put his hands on her shoulder, "Listen very carefully." He started, "Yes" She smiled. "You seriously need help." He patted her back sympathizing.  

"I do." She nodded.

"I do too." He added. "You're dangerous and I need to call on the mental asylum and send you home cause that's where you belong." 

"You!" She slapped his hands away. " You don't believe me? You're saying I'm making things up?" She glared at him.

"Yes. Who would believe you? But I'll give you the credit, some author you are. Nice story." He clapped. 

"How do you explain the portal then? You've seen it too." 

That he couldn't deny but he still had his doubts, he didn't know her she could be a patient who ran away from a mental asylum, "Okay, for a moment I'll accept it, whatever you're saying is true but you're saying you have a house here inside this world? Doesn't that mean you're a character too or does that mean you're making things up?"

"How can you say that when you saw the portal with your own eyes?"  

"Who knows? Maybe your illness is rubbing on me too. Oo that's very dangerous so just get out 'kay? I'll do a favor I'll not call the police or the asylum and pretend that we never met 'kay?" 

"No, wait."

"What now?"

 "I indeed have a house here, ditto like my own house in the real world, I even know the password to that house, I met Reece on the road, his car was about to hit me...he met me the same way he should've met her, does that mean I'm Iva?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Who's Iva now?"

"Ivana Smith. The female lead! OOOOOOOO!!" She shouted.

He covered his ears. 

"Can you believe it? I'm Ivana like wow!!" She screamed jumping around. "I get to romance with Reece! OH MY GODD!" She squealed. 

"Woah! Calm down! I thought you wanted to find a way back home?"

"Who wants to go home? Me? Nah!!" She laughed. "Oh my god! I can't believe it!!" She danced around happily.

"Oh good for you, now please leave." He looked scared and he wanted her out, it was final, she was a weirdo and he didn't want to have anything to do with her.