My eyes opened slowly and blearily.

The sun was up in the sky, and it shone into the window strongly enough to make sure I knew it. I had a mild headache. Other than that, I felt like I was ready to wake up and make my way to UBC for classes. But I looked around the room, and after a few moments, the confusion faded. I wasn't in Vancouver. I was in Fleuve Clair, in another world, priestess of a goddess who had possessed me last night in front of a sizeable crowd.

Oh.

"Yikes," I said, bringing another piece of remembering. Yeah, that's what my voice sounded like.

I pushed off the blankets and sat up, turning to put my feet in the slippers someone had left for me. At that moment, the door eased open, startling me and Síle both. She came over and hugged my head.

"Alyx," she murmured. "How are you today?"

"I'm okay," I replied. "Thanks for checking on me."

She picked up a tray she had sat down on the bed next to me, sitting where it was, and handing the tray to me. Tea, something that looked like a croissant, a little blob of that cheese common around Fleuve Clair, and some fruit... apples?

"I didn't want to bring anything heavy, in case," she said.

"Thank you," I said around bites of the croissant. I raised my eyebrows; it was really phenomenally good.

Síle sighed. "I want to come with you when you visit home."

I nearly choked on the piece I was chewing.

"Síle, you have no idea what you're getting into," I said after swallowing.

"As a matter of fact, I do," she replied calmly. "This may be my only chance to see another world, to see your world, with my own eyes."

I shrugged. "Okay. I'm not going to be that person in that story," I muttered.

"Roaaaad triiiip!" I said in English, of course gaining me quizzical stares.

"It's what we say, travelling together," I explained in Clair.

I had left my Shanaclair garb in the room and dressed back in my original Earth gear. It felt strange, some combination of familiar and not. The only thing I brought with me was the small sack of coins, and a plain, dark brown cloak that Bastien gave me.

"Hopefully this keeps eyes off of you, and keeps you warm," he said. "Be well, Alyx, and come back safely."

Maela and Daire saw us off, too, with a shoulder pat and a wave.

Síle and I both pulled the hoods up on our cloaks, and we looked largely like any other travellers. No one expected any trouble, but it didn't hurt to smooth the path.

There were several people outside the guild who looked like they might be reporters; apparently "New Fí-Réalta!" was on all of the headlines. Bastien and Maela ran interference for us to occupy them while we got past.

And before I knew it, we were out of town and up the switchbacks, on the path back to the Gate.

At the Clearing, I asked Síle to turn off and take a break there. It felt like it had been several years, at least, since I last camped at that place. Before I even knew there were people living in that world, let alone all of the other crazy stuff.

We had a snack from the remaining pack food that was still good. It was her first taste of Earth food.

"Hmm, not bad," she said, and I couldn't really tell if she was just being nice, so I just laughed.

"One more thing," I said. I needed to do some science for Bastien.

I dug around in my pack until I found my phone, which had been off for the whole trip. I also pulled out the solar battery and plugged a cable from it to the phone, just in case.

"What's that?" Síle asked, curious.

"For communication," I said, unsure how else to say more about it in Clair.

Holding down the power button, I was rewarded with an animation on the screen, and after a few moments, a lock screen. Holding down a thumb on the screen, the phone unlocked and showed me a home screen.

"Waahh," Síle said. "Magic."

I held up a finger with a smile and said, "Science," in English.

I brought up apps that showed full time and GPS info, and took screen shots of them. That done, I stood up.

"Okay, let's go."

Eventually, it was there in front of me once again: the Gate. Or, as I now knew it to be named, La Lune.

"I have no idea if this will work," I said to her. "This is the last chance to turn back."

Síle responded by gripping my hand more tightly.

"Then off we go."

The two of us stepped through, holding hands.

It might have been my imagination; I felt like there was more resistance than before. But in any case, we walked out of the Earth side of the gate and onto the Eagle Bluffs side-trail. I was still holding Síle's hand, and her eyes were wide. We'd left Shanaclair somewhere around noon, and we'd re-entered Earth around 3:30pm, by the display on my phone. The (for once) reassuring "Big3" popped up in the network slot. I took more screen shots with the time and GPS.

There were several texts from Mom wondering when I was getting back from my camping trip. I nearly felt hysterical laughter coming on when I read those; how could I even start to talk about my "camping trip" with her? Another from Dad saying that Mom would be out shopping but to check in with him when I got home.

Hooboy.

omw, I replied to his message.

"Everything okay?" Síle asked.

I didn't know how to respond to her either, so I just gave her a hug.

I kept thinking, why haven't any of my friends messaged to ask where I am? And then I remembered, oh yeah, it's been less than a full weekend for them.

"Let's go," I said, and the two of us headed back up the main trail toward the parking lot.

Half an hour later, we started running into other hikers, and a full hour after arriving from La Lune, we stepped down onto the asphalt of the parking lot. Cars were zooming by, heading back toward the highway leading into Vancouver. Síle was putting on a brave face but I could feel her squeezing my hand more tightly.

I led us back over to my car, which was thankfully still there.

"Well, there she is," I said, gesturing. "Not the most amazing, but works."

I walked around to the passenger side and showed her how to open the door and put on the seatbelt. I climbed in the driver's side and said, "Here goes nothing," in English.

I found myself reaching for it more by default already.

In any case, the car started with no issues, so I headed down the hill with all of the other cars.

"You're sure this is safe?" Síle asked, and I looked over to see her gripping the dashboard.

I didn't want to lie to her, so I settled for, "We use these every day!"

Wink, wink.