Young Writers Society

"Besides people naturally having magic in our world, our version of Earth is almost exactly like Bo's," Daniel said. He thought for another moment, then added, "We also might be better suited for having someone come to live with us. We have the space."

Benji looked over at Daniel with a teasing smile on his lips. "Too much of it, since you can't stop adding rooms to our house."

Daniel awkwardly coughed.

"They were necessary," Daniel protested, cheeks tinted red.

"You already put one forest inside of the house," Benji pointed out. "And there's one outside the house, too. I don't think we needed a third."

Elias was almost getting overwhelmed. He was grateful. He was. But when Bo started to drone on about his Earth, Elias couldn't help but tune him out. It was too much information right now, and although he asked anyways, he knew he didn't really need to know the details. He was happy as is knowing that Bo was happy to let him join his world. Same with Daniel and Benji.

Elias didn't really have a preference on where to go. He was just happy he had somewhere to go.

"Oh... thanks," he said when he realized the ensuing silence that followed was because they were waiting to see what he said. He tried his best to offer a little smile. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, for sure," Bo said gently. "And, you know, no pressure to make a decision now. The hour's not up yet. You can think on it."

There was a lot to unpack over what Elias wasn't saying, and Mel knew she wanted to open a dialogue with him and help him out in any way she could, but she wanted to put a pin on that... for now. Time was ticking, and they still had a lot to discuss.

"That's really nice of you guys," she said with a head nod to Bo, Daniel, and Benji. "I know we have limited time, so maybe we could follow Bo's lead and talk more about our world and who we are? I'll go first."

Mel straightened up and squinted towards her portal, trying to think of the most succinct way to describe her Earth.

"So I'm from that portal over there, also called Earth, but not really like any of the Earths you've seen or mentioned. It's got tech and society and whatever, but it's like..." She paused for a second, humming. "So imagine that, one day, everyone got magic powers in the simulation. Some are stronger than others, war breaks out, blah blah blah, and eventually society settles for peace. That basically describes the world we come from. There are governments and laws, but there's also lawless land with lots of wildlife and you can do whatever you want. I have a healthy mix of both. There's lots to explore and I meet new people all the time. I don't know, I think life is what you make of it. I feel like I was way more stressed in the simulation, and I didn't even go to school. You know?"

Daniel had already wanted to find a way to visit the other worlds everyone had come from, but hearing about Mel's version of Earth made him even more determined than before.

"So our Earth is more like a past version of your Earth," Daniel summarized. He thought for a moment, then added, "Except for magic already existing."

Jerica and Rek exchanged a glance, both silently trying to assess the situation and figure out how to respond. This was a tricky situation and neither of them had anything close to proper training on how to proceed when faced with something like this. Beyond the simple politics of how they were supposed to present themselves, and their country, as members of the Royal Family and high ranking officials in the military besides— now they also had to figure out how to represent their entire world. Wild.

“Our world is just normal,” Jerica said with a shrug.

“… but different from all of yours, it sounds like,” Rek said when she didn’t go on. “We’ve got a bit more of a… traditional context than the rest of you. No guns or bombs or any of the horrific things you Earthlings invented. No cars. Technology. Etc.”

“We have kingdoms not countries,” Jerica offered, deciding to actually be helpful. “Six, on the mainland, and a seventh off the eastern coast — though that one’s not really a kingdom since it’s mostly abandoned and is basically just a safe haven for criminals not welcomed in civilized society. But that is where the Portals are, so there’s that. Wildly inconvenient really.”

Rek considered elaborating on that, then decided against it instead. “We’re from a country called Atraya. I’m General of the Swordsmen; she’s King’s Assassin… so… uh… kind of have our hands a little bit full, if I’m honest.”

Jerica was quiet for a moment, glancing around the room. She didn’t want to leave her friends. But she also didn’t want her friends to realize what a monster she was. It’d be painful to watch them abandon her, one by one, as they learned of her reputation back home. Heard about all the monstrous things she’d done.

Still. If any of them were in a bad spot, it was better for them to hate her than be in danger. So… “… Levin’s not gonna let you in the castle — maybe barracks, but it’d be a hard sell — but I could always grab some gold and get you guys squared away… should you need a sanctuary away from your own world for whatever reason.”

The more everyobe spoke, the more the idea of going to another world became overwhelming. Maybe it was overwhelming because he felt like desipte everyone’s best reassurances, he’d still end up on his own.

His world was familiar, but he had no future in it. He knew his days were numbered, and he’d finally come to accept it.

And now… this? Some otherworldly divinely orchestrated opportunity to start over?

It was amazing. It was terrifying. It was too much.

Slowly, he found himself looking over to Evaline.

They’d resolved to being strangers. Neither of them imagined this playing out the way it did. James still wasn’t sure how much of the simulation could be considered “real,” and he knew the two of them were different than they were in the simulation.

But… who he was in the simulation wasn’t that far from who he was at the present. Could the same be true of Evaline?

Did she want to go home? Was she thinking of the possibilities too?

The only had an hour. No. Far less than that, now, that they’d been talking for some time. He knew he would regret it if he never asked at all, especially if their captor really meant it when they were told they’d choose one world and be stuck there forever.

“Evaline,” James said softly, only meant for her to hear. “Do you want to return home to your Earth?”

Evaline was quietly observing. She was gathering details about everyone's world, and at this point, only needed more information about Morrigan and Lordshire's worlds. She had at least a vague grasp on everyone else's.

So far, three groups - Bo, Jerica/Rek, and Daniel/Benji - had offered their worlds as a sanctuary. Evaline noticed that James and Mel didn't explicitly offer, but it was phrased in a way that they would provide more information and support if someone were interested.

Evaline was absorbing this information, but she didn't want to. She found herself at a crossroads of her mind, stuck between two options: stay or leave her world?

She tried to think through her current circumstance on Earth, but as everyone was discussing, she found herself hitting a mental block. It was like she couldn't analyze what life would be like if she returned. She was only left with a feeling of doom and dread.

Suddenly James called to her softly, asking her the same question she had asked herself over and over again: did she want to return to her Earth?

She wished she knew the answer. Even in being all the way out in space, and having experienced a life-altering simulation, she hardly ever knew what she wanted in life.

Evaline tightened her arms across her chest, not even offering James a glance back. She was focusing on the conversation, and words were coming through her ears, but she wasn't registering them.

"I believe that anyone who decides to leave their world for another is a coward," she said instead with a steely voice, addressing the whole group.

There was a beat of silence.

Then a soft, gentle reply.

"Evaline," James said, and though it was gentle, there was a sternness in his tone. "We're all in the same situation, being presented with the great and equally terrifying option to enter another world. There's no need to accuse anyone of cowardice."

"I'm not accusing anyone," Evaline cut in sharply, glaring at James. "I'm only stating the obvious."

"If you're scared," James said, just as gentle as before. "You don't have to project that onto everyone else. It's alright to be afraid and uncertain."

Another beat of silence passed as Evaline felt the tension in her body increase tenfold. She grit her teeth without losing her glare on him.

She wanted to be angry, upset... but James was making her more confused and flustered than anything.

And she didn't want to show it, especially in front of everyone. But she couldn't hide the embarrassing warmth rushing to her cheeks.

"I never said I was," she said cooly, maybe a little too much to keep her voice steady. "Why are you making assumptions?"

"Are you not afraid?" James asked instead.

"Are you?" she shot back.

"Of course I am," James said. "Anyone in their right mind would be completely justified to be after waking up from a false reality, only to be presented with this."

He then looked at her squarely, eyes kind, but searching.

"Are you afraid to go home?" he asked softer, not quite a whisper, but clearly trying to draw the attention of the room away.

Afraid to go--? Afraid? She wasn't afraid. No. She wasn't. She wasn't a coward. She didn't run away from her problems. She faced them head-on.

Evaline almost said these thoughts out loud. Almost. But she found herself saying the next string of thoughts, losing herself in the moment.

"Why do you even care? Why do any of you care?" she asked with a gesture across the room, addressing the whole group again.

She was about to address each person individually and turn them against each other. Daniel wanted to find a solution so that everyone could still see each other, but that was pointless, because he didn't really know their true selves. Jerica, for instance, was an assassin. Was everyone going to ignore that? Was everyone going to ignore that each person was a different version of their selves, and likely for the worse? What was the point?

But James cut in before she could voice any of these thoughts out loud and cause a rift.

"I'll die in a year, if not sooner, if I return to my world," James interjected. "It's not a question of if, it's when. I have long since accepted that I will die, but it won't be with dignity. To have options set before me where a soon-coming, slow, and painful death is not inevitable... I have to at least consider the possibility."

Evaline felt the frustration and anger inside of her die off like a blown candle. She stared at James, realizing too late that she had let the silence go on too long as she tried to process this.

"Wait," Daniel said, "you're going to die?"

Daniel would have offered up his house—and had offered up his house—before he knew that James was going to die in the next year if he stayed on his world. James was his friend, no matter how different he was from the version of him that had existed inside of the simulation, and Daniel's stomach flipped and flopped at the thought of losing him. Even if they went to different worlds, Daniel could have at least held on to the hope that they could see each other again someday.

But if James died? Daniel would never see him again. He couldn't hold onto the hope of an afterlife, because people like Daniel and Benji didn't get an afterlife.

"Are you...are you sick?" Daniel hesitantly asked. "Do you need some medicine or some kind of healing? Because I know spells that could help if you do-"

"Daniel," Benji hissed, both getting his attention and cutting him off. "I don't think it's that."

Daniel paused. He tried to figure out what Benji had seen that he hadn't, but wasn't able to come to whatever conclusion that Benji had. He just watched as Benji looked away from Daniel and right at James instead, an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's Carter," Benji guessed, "isn't it?"

Daniel took in a sharp breath of air. Now he could see Benji's train of thought: Carter and James had originally been roommates. Carter had a vendetta against James, and Carter had fought him in the simulation. That was just supposed to be a college life story. If they were outside of that on a world as tough as James had described his to be, what wasn't there to say that Carter genuinely wanted to kill James?

It was awkward that no one responded to their explanation or Jerica's offer and it left her feeling a little embarrassed, though she hid it well. She even, somehow, managed to hide how irritated she was by Evaline being a drama queen. Again. Was she somehow worse now than she'd been in the simulation? Or did Jerica simply not have even a modicum of patience left? Probably a mix of both.

James got broodier in real life.

Morri seemed even chiller, but not actually alive, which actually made a lot of sense considering her general disdain for living men.

Lordshire got even more stabby and murderous.

Benji and Daniel were basically merging into one person at this point and it was tempting to start referring to them as a collective rather than individuals. Beniel? Danji?

Bo was... still Bo. Which was somehow even more irritating because it confused her immensely and was wildly distracting. Hard to deal with crises when you had emotions. She wasn't accustomed to it.

And Evaline was being even more melodramatic than her simulation self was. Somehow. It was irritating.

But thankfully she kept all of her thoughts to herself. Then James dropped his revelation upon them, pulling her back to the present rather than her impressions and conclusions. He was in danger? Well, that was good that he had a chance to get out, then. She couldn't help but wonder what his trouble was, though. Were they powerful people who could track him back to Beirania? That'd be a mess. Derik wouldn't like it at all if she got them involved in yet another multi-dimensional fight.

But her brain came to a screeching halt when Benji implicated Carter. She quickly considered. It fit. He'd been turning into a progressively bigger asshole the last few days, and then that whole trying to murder James in the simulation was a bit of a red flag honestly. It would make sense that they had a long-standing feud, even if neither of them was consciously aware of it during the simulation.

"Carter?" Jerica stuck her thumb out, gesturing in Carter's general direction but looking at James. "I'll just go kill him, if that's all."

"Jerica, you can't just offer to murder people," Rek said tiredly. She really had no social skills whatsoever.

"Fine, I'll 'execute' him--" she did finger quotes in the air. "for..." She waved her hand vaguely, not really coming up with a fancy-sounding reason. "Being a dick. I don't know. I'm more than happy to hand his ass to him again -- more thoroughly this time, now that I can -- and doubly so if he's threatening James. It's a no-brainer."

She subconsciously went to rest her hand on her sword, then realized she still didn't have one. No matter. She was a weapon, and could do it just fine on her own. Awkwardly rubbed her legs instead in an attempt to play off the awkwardness. She turned partially towards the door, but turned back towards James with a raised eyebrow. "So... it's Carter that's the problem? Yes?"

James hadn't meant to draw attention to himself, but now, under the spotlight, he was eager to get out from under it and let the others do the talking again. He didn't want to waste their last twenty-or-so minutes telling everyone his life story. Not that he wanted to tell them his life story anyway. Not like this.

He wanted to give the shortest answer. The most direct.

“Yes,” he said slowly.

But that was insufficient. If he knew anything about Jerica, it was that her threats for violence were sincere, and would be acted upon if encouraged.

“But if I were to go to another world, murder would not be necessary,” he said, then added, “Nor would it be necessary now, seeing as Carter is, by my understanding, comatose, or otherwise unable to wake up.”

A beat.

“And I’d really rather you didn’t,” James said plainly. “I will remind everyone we’re on a ticking clock.”

James's words continued to ring in Evaline's ears.

I'll die in a year. I'll die in a year. I'll die in a year.

The words played over and over like a broken record until it became one slurry of a thought, and Evaline could no longer tell if these words were James's or hers.

James said his death was inevitable if he returned to his world. And now that Evaline was forced to think through this, she knew that she shared that trait with him. If she returned and nothing changed, the doom would never go away. But she didn't want to change. She couldn't change, as it would mean she would abandon everyone.

But with the opportunity to go to a new world...

No. She couldn't seriously be considering this. Right? She wasn't going to run away from her problems again.

Tick, tock.

Like cruel irony, time began to mock her, counting down the seconds. Evaline became increasingly aware of what little time they had to make a decision. They had maybe twenty minutes left. So much of it was wasted. Doing what? They were talking in circles.

Evaline snapped back to reality and stared at James. James. If both of their time were truly limited, then now was the time they could truly live. She had been trying her best to repress it, but she knew the feelings she had for him were still present. She wanted him to move on and live his life without her holding him back. But if he wasn't going to be able live and he was truly considering going to another world... well... what was the point of this all when Evaline was secretly considering the same?

"Oh-kay, let's maybe not try to murder anyone here," Mel said with her hands out as she got between Jerica and her line of sight of Carter. "There are better solutions here. Maybe we should all have a conversation and talk about-- aaaand they're gone."

Something in Evaline snapped while Mel was talking. She could no longer hold the anxiety back, and she felt like she had to do something. Right now, she had to talk this out with James. No one else. No distractions. Just the two of them, weighing through their options before the time ran out.

So midway through Mel's spiel, Evaline snatched James's hand and whirled around, pulling James along and occasionally tugging if he wasn't keeping up. Before they could get too far, she could hear Mel sighing and continuing on.

"Since we don't have a lot of time left, why don't we figure out what decision we're all going to make here. I plan on going back. So does Bo. And so does Daniel and Benji. Elias wants to switch worlds. Okay. What about everyone else? Jerica, Rek, Morri, Lordy?"

Evaline headed towards the other end of the big room with the massive windows looking out into space, which was far enough away from everyone that they couldn't hear them if they didn't raise their voice. She also wanted to be as far away from Carter as possible, even if he was in a coma.

When they reached the windows, she finally let go of James and whirled back around, facing him with a serious expression.

"Do you really mean that?" she blurted out, talking faster as if it would help them save time. "Are you really going to switch worlds? Because if you went back, you would die? Do you really mean that? And by asking me -- by asking me what I want -- are you implying that, maybe, we--?"

Evaline found herself getting flustered before James even opened her mouth. She tightly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. She had to reset and calm her nerves.

"What are your intentions?" she asked more calmly but seriously, not letting her steely gaze get away from him.

Somehow, this felt familiar. He and Evaline had only really known each other in the simulation for about six months, but when she yanked him away and started to vomit words out of her mouth, he found that it didn't even surprise him. It felt normal for her. Like he'd expected it even.

It took him a moment to sort through all of the questions that flooded the air. The one she landed on was vague, but he understood what she wanted.

They were both thinking the same thing.

If they both chose to go to another world, there was no reason they couldn't go together if that was what they wanted.

"In recent years," James started slowly. "It has not been my first inclination to consider a future for myself. You know that Carter wants me dead. There are nuanced reasons why that I don't want to waste time explaining, but to be as succinct as possible: we were formerly friends, and once served alongside each other in our kingdom's army. I discovered our king was planning to make magically altered child soldiers by unethical means and intervened, succeeded, but got caught. Carter chose his side, and it wasn't mine. I became a wanted man, and I've been running for five years, but recently, the past has been catching up to me, and I know I won't be able to run for much longer."

He paused, but only to take a breath and let out a small sigh.

"So yes," he said. "I am seriously considering walking through one of those doors into a different world. And yes. I am thinking about doing it with you, but only if you desire to leave your world as well."

He glanced at the group but returned his gaze to Evaline. He could feel the urgency of the minutes ticking away little by little.

"If we were to go to a world like Bo's... or Daniel and Benji's... it seems there are many opportunities to make a life for ourselves. I do not mean to underestimate the challenges of integrating ourselves into a foreign land, but perhaps the simulation served as a stepping stone... preparing us for a decision like this one," he said, and then paused, meeting Evaline's eyes intently.

"You never did answer my question," he said under his breath.

"Do you want to return home?"



Well. A lot that just happened in a few minutes, and it seemed that Evaline and James were going off to resolve it themselves. Good for them.

Clearing his throat after their hasty departure to the furthest ends of the room, Bo stood up.

"Well, while they're figuring out that," Bo said. "Mel has a good point. We should all figure out what we want to do - at least, for those still on the fence. We're all each other's resources, here. Who else is thinking of world-hopping? Got any more questions?"

Evaline listened intently as James spoke, taking his word as absolute truths and comparing it to her situation. She almost wanted to laugh, thinking that he was mocking her, or joking, or being satirical. But she knew that James wasn't one to pull that kind of joke. Everything he said - it was all true.

And it was uncannily similar to her story. But she wasn't going to go through that. Not yet.

Because - well, did they have the time? Did they have the opportunity?

James said that he would follow her to another world if she was open to leaving too. Was it not a possibility that he follow her? She didn't want him to anyways. She didn't want to burden him with the complexities of her world, and neither did he.

Evaline was at a crossroads. A fit of emotions bubbled to the surface, and she didn't know what to do, or how to hold it back.

James asked her twice now if she wanted to stay in her world. And now it was just the two of them. She couldn't find an incentive to lie. She couldn't find an incentive to stay.

"No," she said quietly and meekly, almost a whisper. She had to try to stop her voice from sounding too shaky. "I don't want to return."

She thought back to what James said moments before. I am thinking about walking through another door with you, but only if you desire to leave your world as well.

And then she mustered up the courage to say what she really wanted as well, because if they really only had limited time together, what was the point in holding back?

"I would also like to go through another door. With you," she added softly, but then a wave of distraught emotions went through her as she remembered the words she said to him when they first woke up. "I'm - I'm really sorry. For before, when we first woke up. I didn't realize... I thought you'd want to go back, and I didn't want to hold you back. So I said - I thought --"

Evaline bit her tongue, circling back to her original apology before she could say anything else she'd come to regret.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said previously to you at the pods," Evaline finished quietly. She couldn't bring herself to say the words "I never loved you" again.

She knew that James already knew that since he called her bluff. But it was worth reiterating out loud.

"It's alright," James said softly. "I forgive you."

He reached out and gently took Evaline's hand, his eyes searching hers, as if he was asking for permission.

And in that brief second, Evaline was panicking.

"That's it, then? We just go through another door, and... that's it?" she said lowly, finding herself clutching his hands back, holding on too tight. "Aren't you worried? Aren't you afraid of... the worlds? Of me? Of, I don't know - anything. How can you just-- move on, like that, so quick?"

"There are a lot of unknowns," James said, unbelievably calm, like he always was. "And there always will be. We're going to have to get to know each other again, as our full selves. We'll have to rediscover what we are, and what we want to be, while also discovering a new world. I know that it will be overwhelming, foreign, and terrifying in ways we can't possibly anticipate. But it's an opportunity to try. It's an opportunity for... a sense of normalcy and stability I haven't had in years."

He took in a deep breath, and continued.

"I'm willing to make a difficult choice in hopes of something better," James said. "Whether I feel ready or not."

Despite everything he said, it wasn't his choice of words that calmed Evaline down the most. It was the familiar demeanor.

They were not the same person in the simulation. Instead, they were a different version of their selves, one without the grave circumstances they held in their world. But at the core, they were still the same person.

James was still the patient, kind, smart man she grew to love. And maybe he would be a little different from what she knew of him. But he was right: they could learn to discover their selves and each other with a clean slate.

The idea of it was almost overwhelming. It felt too good to be true. They would both be escaping a troublesome past, and they could step into a new world and build a new life, together. There were no stakes, no caveats, no strings attached. It was a reality that could soon be theirs.

James always knew what to say. He always picked his words carefully and knew when to say it. Evaline, on the other hand, was the opposite. And in this tender moment, she realized she had nothing else to say to validate their feelings. She just wanted to move on. With James. She didn't want to overthink it.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked softly instead, weakly letting her hands sit on top of his palms.

James found his eyes drifting to the door that Bo said was his world.

"A world without magic or powers... sounds simpler," he said faintly. "If it resembles the simulation in many ways, it may be easier for us to get used to the world Bo is from."

Evaline agreed. She would love to rid herself of her power and live a simpler life. It appeared that Bo's world was the only one like that, aside from the simulation. But it went unsaid that the simulation portal wasn't one to be considered.

Of course, there would be setbacks. Evaline imagined it wouldn't be easy for them to find a routine and integrate into society, considering that they appeared out of nowhere without worldly roots.

It wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't impossible.

"Maybe we don't have degrees, but we still have our knowledge," Evaline said, no longer filtering her words. "I can still be an artist, and you can still be a writer or historian. Maybe we'll work at a library, or bookstore. Maybe we'd even go back to school. Or..."

She paused, feeling a small giddy laugh at the back of her throat because of the bizarreness of the situation.

"Where would we even live? Where would we stay? Would we stay together? Does that mean -- we're still--"

Hot embarrassment pooled in her cheeks as she stared back down at their hands, tightly clutching his hands again.

"Are we still together?" she asked, almost a mumble, embarrassed that she even had to ask. But she needed to know a direct answer.

"Yes," James said firmly. "If that's what you want, I do want to remain partners."

"I do too," Evaline said maybe a little too quickly, but then faltered.

They had so much to talk about, she didn't even know where to start. She also knew now was not the time to go through all the questions.

In the small pause, she noticed a small, soft smile had grown on James's face as he looked at her.

"What is it?" she asked nervously as she flicked her eyes between him and the rest of the group.

"It's just that you're not so different as you tried to make yourself seem," he said warmly.

"No, I know I'm different," she said with a strange amount of stubbornness. "I just don't want you to think I'm the same and be sorely disappointed."

"I know," he said. "We're both different. But don't decide for me if I'm going to be disappointed."

Evaline watched him for a moment, amused by the direct assertiveness.

"Well? Are you?" she asked, but in a teasing manner.

"No," he said simply. "But I've only just met the true you an hour ago, at most. There's plenty of time for us to disappoint each other."

At the end of his phrase, he smirked slightly.

"Of course, I think we'd have been bound to disappoint one another, in the simulation or not," James said. "That is a natural part of all relationships. We'll deal with it when it comes."

"I'll be disappointed if you don't eat lasagna on our first date as our true selves," Evaline said with a little smirk of her own.

"You know," James said. "I just might, if cheese and meat are more readily accessible in that new world. There are so many food you miss out on when you're running in the wilderness from the authorities."

"I've never really understood the concept of cheese or dairy products in general. Why would you consume another animal's milk?" Evaline asked with a crinkled nose.

"Why would you eat another creature's grass?" James countered, though his smirk cracked into an amused smile.

Evaline scoffed with a playful smile tugging her own lips. "Careful, James. You're entering disappointment territory."

James shrugged, tilting his head to the side with a coy smile.

"Are you willing to start a new life with a man who eats cheese?" he asked.

"That has got to be the cheesiest line you've ever said," Evaline deadpanned, trying to hold back her laughter.

James raised his brows for a split second, like he was trying to keep it together, but then barked a quick, loud laugh that left as quick as it came. He lowered his head to look away, shaking his head like he was trying to keep it in again.

Evaline found herself beaming that she was able to make him laugh. She noticed that he laughed the same way, and it made her stomach twist into knots in an excited way.

"That's okay. I think I'm prepared for a lifetime of cheesy lines," she said with a smile, biting down the feeling that maybe that was too brazen for her to say.

James's eyebrows raised, but he smiled.

"I guess we'll see," he said. "But I look forward to it."

If Jerica had been the one to disappear, Daniel would have assumed they would have had a murdered Carter soon. But since she was still very much present and it was James and Evaline who had disappeared, he guessed that they were good for now.

...It was weird, imagining what they had to be going through right now. Benji and Daniel had been lucky. They had ended up with the person they were already in a relationship with. Evaline and James—or even Bo and Jerica—were from completely different worlds. They were only just getting to know the real versions of each other right now.

"Maybe there's something else we could do to Carter," Daniel said. "Something that's not murder."

He wasn't sure what that something was, but just...letting Carter go back to the world he had been in without any changes whatsoever felt wrong. Even if James went to another world, Carter was still a bad person—James shouldn't have been the one getting punished.