Where Is She?

Emma stumbled forward, almost tripping on the uneven pavement. The noise of the street hit her all at once, the loud noise of cars honking, people talking, and the shouts of a street vendor calling out his prices. She stopped, taking a shaky breath as she tried to gather herself.

Leon's face popped into her mind, his sad expression, the way his shoulders had dropped when he told her she was free to go. His eyes had looked so hurt, but she pushed the image away as she closed her eyes for a few moments.

"No," she muttered under her breath, clenching her fists. "I don't belong there." She nodded hard, convincing herself that this was the best.

Her chest tightened as she remembered the words she had thrown at him—fake. She had called him fake because it was the truth. Nothing in that world was real. No matter how much his sadness had shaken her, she couldn't stay in a place where her life wasn't her own.

This was her world. The real world.