I need to find my way back home

"We need to get your clothes changed, Emma; otherwise, people are going to judge you."

"Yes, I still have my patches over my legs."

"Huh? That's not why people are staring at you; it's your clothing. It's very different. What do you call it?"

"It's my school uniform."

"Really? That's so beautiful! Can I wear it too?"

Emma laughs, "Yes, you can!"

"We also need to clean you up and repatch you, Emma." 

Emma looks a bit embarrassed.

The path to Frieda's house looked like a residential area filled with huge houses and towering trees. "Why are these houses so big?" Emma wonders.

They take a shortcut to Frieda's house. It is a narrow pathway, but...

"Wow, there are so many cats!" Emma exclaims.

The cats were unlike any Emma had seen in her world.

"Cats? These animals? They are called 'Nimbus,'" says Frieda.

"Nimbus? They're called cats in my world, but wait… they don't look much like cats; they look like a combination of cats and huge foxes. But they are very beautiful. Can I touch them?" asks Emma.

"Oh no, they are probably sleeping. You can't right now. We'll come another time. I also have a similar breed at home," Frieda replies.

"Really!? I can't wait!" 

"Oh, we are almost there. We need to take a left and go straight."

"Is that your house?" Just two steps away from Frieda's house stood a huge building with three floors. Emma's mouth dropped open until she asked, "Wait, didn't you say it's just you, your mom, and your dad?"

Frieda bursts out laughing. "Emma, the reason we have big houses is that people here build floors based on the number of people living in the house. Each person has their own floor. Don't you have that in your world?"

"No, we have individual rooms."

"How can you live in just one room? Isn't that suffocating?"

"No, it isn't. It's cozy. But sometimes, your siblings leave their doors open or disturb your privacy."

"That sounds fun!" Frieda giggles.

"People here have houses with ten floors and even twenty."

Emma, shocked, exclaims, "What!? How does that work?"

Frieda laughs, "I love your shocked face! We'll see how that works on the way to the station. For now, let's go inside."

Once they enter the house, Frieda mutters, "I guess Mom and Dad are at work."

"So, are you going to give me a house tour?" Emma asks.

"Yes, let's do it! The floor we're on now belongs to my father. He is the head magician of the science community."

"Head magician! Wait… what? A magician?!"

"Yes, a magician! Everybody here is a magician. Are there no magicians in your world?"

"Wait… no?" 

"That's surprising! How do you guys survive without magic? That's crazy!"

"Magic in my world exists only in folklore and books."

"Then how do you guys build houses and vehicles?"

"Well, we have science!"

"Science?"

"Yes, science has various branches: physics, biology, and chemistry. These are further divided."

"That sounds interesting!"

"Yes, it is interesting, but you have to tell me about the magic in your world first. How do you define magic?"

"I'll just show you. Let's go to my floor; it's the top one."

"How do you get to different floors? Where are the stairs?"

"Stairs? Oh, people stopped using those decades ago, but you might still find them in a few houses."

They move towards a door that has a beautiful doorknob with a cat-like figurine carved on it. The door resembles an elevator from Emma's world, but it's a bit different. Instead of the usual lever mechanism used in elevators, it was designed like a small room. Instead of buttons, there was a lever with three levels. 

Frieda and Emma step inside the small room. Frieda pulls the lever to the top level, and in the blink of an eye, they reach the top floor.

Emma smiles, "So when will we reach the top floor?"

"Oh, you didn't realize we are on the top floor?" Frieda said.

"What? When?" Emma replied, surprised.

"The lift acts like a magical room; it just needs a command and basically moves you up and down. The room is essentially just floating."

"Cool!" Emma exclaimed.

Suddenly, a small creature ran towards Frieda, climbed up her, and began licking her. Frieda laughed and gently patted the little being, kissing it affectionately. 

"Wait, hahaha, wait, Luna! Meet my new friend. This is Emma. Say hi to her."

Luna, a bit suspicious of Emma, hid behind Frieda. Emma smiled softly and reached her hand out to pat Luna. "Hello, Luna." 

Luna's eyes brightened, and she started cozying up to Emma. Luna was a mix between a cat and a fox, similar to the ones that Emma and Frieda had found on their way through the narrow streets.

Frieda started clapping to gain everyone's attention. "Okay, okay! You guys can cozy up a bit later, but first we need to show Emma the magic of our world."

Frieda went to the bedroom, took out a long, thin object that resembled a wand, and began carving round circles while writing something that looked like a strange language.

"Get back, Emma," Frieda instructed.

Emma followed her instructions and stepped aside with Luna. Frieda began chanting in an unfamiliar language. A flicker of light erupted from the lines of her carvings. A few seconds later, clothes materialized on the floor where Frieda had drawn.

Watching everything unfold, Emma thought to herself, "It looks like a mix of alchemy and... black magic."

Frieda picked up the clothes and proudly asked Emma, "How do you like it? I made you some clothes so nobody will stare at you. Hehe. You should take a bath and wear them."

"Haha, thank you, Frieda! I appreciate it. What you did looked like what people in my world would call alchemy."

"Alchemy? I've never heard of it."

With a grin, Frieda playfully pushed Emma into the bath.

The bathtub was filled with different potions. Emma felt a bit scared but stepped into the bath anyway.

"We'll wait outside for you, Emma! Take your time," Frieda said, shutting the door behind her.

Left in the bathroom, Emma fell into deep thought. "There is something wrong here."