Episode 47 - One Breath Between Worlds

Olivia stepped away from the snack table.

Not far.

Just around the corner from the main hallway—where the flickering light of the party couldn’t quite reach, but the echoes of laughter still could.

She leaned against the wall, mug still warm in her hand, tail curling softly around her leg.

Not tired.

Just full.

Full of voices. Of presence. Of belonging.

Footsteps approached, steady and soft.

She didn’t flinch.

Mistress Peace appeared beside her, gown trailing shadows that refused to cling to the floor.

“That,” the Host said gently, “was the best toast we’ve had in years.”

Olivia blinked. “Was it?”

Mistress Peace nodded once. “Because it didn’t try to be perfect. Just honest. That’s harder.”

They stood together in companionable quiet.

The music shifted again—something jazzy now, something from a channel that hadn’t broadcast in decades.

“Do you ever miss the quiet?” Olivia asked.

“Sometimes,” said Mistress Peace. “But only until I hear someone howl with joy.”

She placed a gentle hand on Olivia’s shoulder.

“You belong here, Olivia. More than most.”

And then—

A gentle smile.

A wink.

And she was gone.

Drawn back into the revelry, into the neon and static and sequins.

Olivia took one more sip.

Straightened her jacket.

And walked back into the celebration.

Victor was showing Jacque how to juggle glowsticks. Dr. Torpor was hovering in midair, conducting an invisible orchestra. Charles was somehow both dancing and rewiring a speaker. Miss LaDonna sipped her tea and made no comment on the ghost braiding her hair.

Olivia stepped back into the light.

Into the laughter.

Into the center of the signal.

And the station—OtherWorlds, its heart beating through every reel, monitor, and hallway—

Welcomed her home again.