3.

“Serena?!” She greeted me with a big, surprised smile. “Kristen!” I greeted her with the same enthusiasm and sat down across from her. There was a table between us, under which I put my travel bag.

Her name was Kristen Colby. She was the same age as me, had thick black curly hair, chestnut brown eyes, freckles, and wore round glasses. We were good friends in high school, but after she moved away, we lost touch.

“What are you doing here? How do you know about Rain Falls City?” She asked in excitement and disbelief.

“My sister left me a ticket…wait, what are you doing here? So Rain Falls City is real?” I was just as in disbelief as she was.

She laughed before carefully adjusting her round glasses on her nose. Talking to her felt natural and easy, as if she had never left in the first place. No awkwardness at all.

“I live there, how about you?” Kristen asked curiously.

“I am looking for Nittha, and in the meantime, I guess I will be living there.” I responded.

Kristen looked at me in slight shock, not saying anything.

While catching up, she revealed to me that she was born in Rain Falls City and that her family wished to return because they preferred Rain Falls City over Geneva.

Additionally, Kristen informed me that since Rain Falls City is located in the other world, she was not permitted to tell me about it at the time. Only those who were natives of or descended from families who had their roots in the other world were allowed to learn about it and enter there.

“When I looked up Rain Falls City on the internet, I was not able to find anything because it is not in the same world as Geneva?” I tried to make sense of the whole situation.

She nodded affirmatively.

“Is your family from here or should I say the other world?” Kristen questioned in a perplexed manner because she knew that I was not born in the other world.

“Not that I know. My aunt never told us anything about the other world, so I am confused as to how Nittha knew about it.” I responded and shrugged my shoulders.

Our aunt, the younger sister of our mother, raised Nittha and me. Up until this point, we were completely ignorant of our parents’ identities, whereabouts, the existence of possible relatives, and other family-related information. For whatever reason, she refused to speak about them.

Since it was quite dark outside, all I could make out as I gazed out the window were a few scattered trees and the shape of what appeared to be a mountain not too far away.