Chapter Text
The first red flag was suddenly becoming lost, she thought. One wrong turn down an alley before tripping and hitting her head- and when she stood? She could’ve sworn the brick was a different color, slightly lighter than before. An uncanny difference, she noted, but maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal. Realizing the alley was definitely not the way she should’ve gone, she dusted herself off before turning back to leave.
And the buildings weren’t the same. Instead of a bustling main street in downtown New York City, lights illuminating brightly to the point where if she closed her eyes, she could still see the digital billboards, it was a quaint backstreet with small vendors selling fruits and some local businesses. She could look up and see the stars, a sight she hadn’t been able to see in what felt like years.
She turned on her heel, shaking her head. She must’ve gone out the wrong end of the alley. That was the only logical explanation. She knew once she went through this alley again that she would see an all-too-familiar street in Manhattan.
The second red flag was a street that she had never seen before. Not a digital billboard to be seen. She walked out of the alley into the light of the street lamp, looking up at the dim light in confusion. It’s been a while since she had seen the streets of New York only being illuminated by a single weak lamp. She stepped one foot to the right, her eyes widening as she saw the stars again.
The stars were the third red flag. They should have been the second if she was honest with herself.
Where was she? This was not New York City. This was not downtown Manhattan. This was not where she was supposed to be. Clenching a fist, she turned sharply to the right before bumping straight into someone else’s chest.
Stumbling backward, she prepared a scowl as she looked up, insult ready on her tongue as her eyes focused on an average-looking, middle-aged man. Her face paled though, the harsh words vaporizing before they were even uttered as she backed up. Pinching herself without realizing she did so, she hissed in pain, turning her wide eyes as she took in everyone else’s appearance.
Everyone was frozen in place but her. And maybe she would’ve come to terms with her newfound superpower, dream-state reality if it wasn’t for the gaze of a bewildered young blond man in a cloak, staring right into her own only twenty feet away from her.