The ground made a “thwuck” sound when Kaya landed. At least her falling ended gently. Most people would expect her to be grateful for a soft landing. But—

Kaya was on her hands and knees at the top of a large pile of manure. No. There were also tomatoes. And cabbage. It was a large compost pile of cow manure, vegetable scraps, cardboard boxes, and scraps of paper. The ammonia stench from the manure burned her nose and lungs.

Kaya gagged as she stood up. Her hands pulled from the compost pile with a loud sucking sound. Kaya turned, realized the compost pile was several feet high.

Jack and Jill stood next to Kaya. They had landed on their feet at the top of the compost pile.

Kaya wanted to wipe her curly black hair from her eyes, but she also didn’t want to touch her hair with her compost-covered hands.

North Carolina was hot this time of year. Slowly, Kaya realized she wasn’t in North Carolina anymore. A gentle rain fell from grey clouds. Goosebumps flared up Kaya’s arms because she felt cold. She did recognize she was on a farm. But she had no idea how big this particular farm was.

A few hundred yards away was a white two-story house with a red roof. Kaya guessed the house had been built by the original farm owners, and then added to over the decades.

Only a few yards from the compost pile was an old wooden barn. The wooden barn was tall but seemed to serve no real purpose other than perhaps slowly falling down to be used for scrap wood. Farther away was a newer metal barn.

A dirty green John Deere utility tractor was parked next to the compost pile.

There were goats in one field surrounded by an electric fence. Several chickens busily pecked the field around the goats for worms, seeds, and bugs. More chickens pecked the ground around the edges of the old wood barn. In a different field were a few cows grazing. The rain was soft enough to not bother the animals.

This felt like a small farm.

An old black Ford F350 truck was parked near the white house. It seemed to be the only vehicle on the farm other than the John Deere utility tractor.

Jack took in the surroundings, glanced at his sister, then started to walk down the compost pile. Jordan was still slung over Jack’s shoulder. Jill followed Jack down the compost pile, and then Kaya trailed behind. Kaya held her arms out from her body, not for balance, but because she was covered in manure and vegetable scraps. Kaya gagged again.

After they reached the bottom of the compost pile they started to walk toward the white farm house.

Kaya wondered what Jack planned to say to the farm owner. Maybe: ‘Hi, we fell out of the sky from North Carolina. Can we use the bathroom?’

Jordan hung over Jack’s shoulder, her long blonde hair dangled in a loose mess because it had come out of the braid. Jordan was bleeding from her nose, mouth, and various other cuts and scrapes on her body. There were two holes in her back where the shadow monster had shot her.

... don’t faint ... Kaya thought.

Don’t faint.

Don’t faint.

Kaya vomited by the metal barn. The group stopped walking. Kaya vomited again. And finally, Kaya started to retch because there was nothing left in her stomach.

Maybe it was the stress from the day. Maybe it was the smell of the compost pile all over her body and in her hair. Kaya slumped onto her side, retching, her entire body shaking.

A portal opened ten feet above them. Emily dropped through the portal, landed gracefully next to Jill. The portal closed as suddenly as it had opened. Emily had a large backpack slung over her shoulder.

But Emily did not have Abby with her.

I left Abby behind... Kaya thought.

Jack stared at Emily, waiting. Emily didn't look at anyone, just stared at the ground.

"What the hell was that thing?" Jack asked.

"Shadow nymph," Emily said. "I haven't seen one in at least four centuries. Something must have woken that one."

"How do we kill it?"

"We don't. It's a guardian. A protector of our world."

“Why did it attack us?”

“It wasn’t after us.” Emily turned her eyes toward Kaya. “I think it was after Kaya.”

Kaya’s curly black hair was now a matted mess from mud, soft rain, and the compost. At least the vomit had missed her hair.

“Something happened to upset it,” Emily said, eyes fixed on Kaya. “So ... Kaya. I need to know your family history.”

Kaya sat up, pressed her back against the side of the metal barn. The side of the barn felt cold and damp, her entire body was slowly getting soaked by the gentle rain. Kaya was weak. It was an emotional victory that she hadn’t fainted.

“My dad was a police officer,” Kaya said, her voice hoarse and scratchy from vomiting. “Chief of Police in Avalon Springs. My mom was an elementary school teacher. Mom and my sister Chloe died four years ago in a car accident.”

“Deeper than that,” Emily said. “Wizards? Magic? Are you a descendent of a goddess? Are you from a different planet? A different dimension?”

Kaya shook her head no.

Emily crossed her arms.

“But you do know what’s happening,” Emily said, kneeling in front of Kaya. “Did you bump into a spirit? Have you touched a magic object? What happened? Did you open an email attachment from someone you didn’t know? I’m not mad. I just need to know what happened so I can fix this.”

“I don’t know what happened.”

“You didn’t seem surprised when Jordan kicked me through the wall of the police station. And moments later, my sensors registered alterations to Jordan’s history and her timeline. She didn’t have those powers yesterday.”

Kaya lowered her eyes, staring at the ground. “There is a lot I know ... but I don’t know why it’s happening. And that’s the truth.”

“Okay, get up,” Emily said. She smiled reassuringly at Kaya. “My friend might be able to help.”

“Your friend?”

“We’re on his farm.”

“Is this in Virginia?” Kaya asked. “The misty rain-”

“This is Oregon.”

“... oh ...”

“Let me ask you this,” Emily said, stepping close to Kaya. Emily’s nose crinkled momentarily from the stench of manure on Kaya. “Did you know your sister is alive?”

“Chloe’s dead. I, I saw her body. I was at her funeral.”

“She’s alive. Last night she was walking toward—”

Kaya blurted, “The Famous Unicorn Creations Kitchen.”

“That’s correct. So you do know something.”

“... I hope not ...”

Emily blinked, not understanding. Emily waited, but Kaya had evidently said all she wanted to say.

Emily motioned toward the white house with a tilt of her head, and the group started walking again.

“This is a safe place,” Emily said. “Nothing will hurt us here.”

Strength is about the ability to comfort someone no matter the circumstances. Kaya smelled like cow manure. And Kaya may have accidentally triggered the end of the world. A shadow nymph, one of the protectors of earth, tried to kill her. Despite all of that... Emily put her arm across Kaya’s shoulders as they walked toward the house.

Kaya cried softly.

"I left Abby," Kaya muttered. "I left my best friend."

"You didn't leave her," Emily said. "I left her. I didn’t have a choice."

"What does that mean?"