“You aren’t!”

“Why? You’re really cool. I like you!”

“I’m not from around here,” the blonde was close to her now. Closer than Ashley liked. “It was very nice to meet you but hey! Don’t touch me!!!”

Spencer had wrapped the brunette up in a giant bear hug. All of the senses in Ashley’s body went insane. Colors exploded in front of her eyes and her heart began to beat quickly against her chest.

“It was nice to meet you too Ash. Enjoy those shoes,” Spencer said. Ashley tried to squirm out from under her embrace but Spencer held tight.

“Are we done yet?”

“Look just hold still. I’m not going to hurt you. Jesus. It’s a hug. Calm down,” calming down was the last thing on Ashley’s mind. She couldn’t focus. Spencer smelled like sweet fresh peaches, something Ashley hadn’t had since childhood. It was an irresistible smell and she could feel herself losing control. “If I’m never gonna see you again let me just…”

Spencer’s eyes drifted to Ashley’s lips and she began to move closer. Ashley’s heart thumped steadily against her chest and she felt a pain rip through her body. Oh god, it was happening. She was out of time. Her toes began to sizzle and she could hear a loud gush of wind in her ears. The belt that she’d worn around her hips glowed a neon orange and all she could feel was a seething pain in her head. Spencer’s lips were inching toward Ashley’s and all of the sudden time stopped. Ashley could see the blonde and she could see her home.

Spencer looked bewildered and Ashley lost control. She screamed out in pain and collapsed on the floor. Cold swirled around her body and she shut her eyes tight to try and block out the pain. Ashley could hear Spencer shouting for her and she opened her eyes to see the blonde reaching for her hand. Ashley reached out and mouthed to Spencer. I’ll find you. There fingertips touched and Ashley dissapeared in a flash of bright lightning.

Ashley awoke in the lab on the floor of the machine. She opened her eyes and painfully looked around at her surroundings. Her body was stiff and sore, she had no idea how long she’d been laying there. She looked at her feet and saw the sneakers Spencer had lent her. They’d survived the journey, along with the pink cotton socks. Gathering herself, she rose off of the floor and turned around staring straight into Kyla’s enraged eyes.