This is a re-write of my old story 'You've Got To Be Joking'. This one will be darker, more violent and semi-realistic on its take on characters and plot bending.

Hope you will enjoy this wild ride of craziness!

Prologue

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In the past people have called me crazy. It's understandable, and I certainly don't blame them. I may or may not be the sort who carries around a malfunctioned impulse control along with a very murky, suspicious-looking conscience that hisses at the mere mention of 'Doing The Right Thing'.

I'm a certifiable disappointment as far as my parents are concerned – which they are. Very.

Eh, I don't mind. Worrying is far too bothersome.

Though…I am beginning to wonder whether I should start worrying. About my mental health, that is. Because as far as I recall in that 'people call me crazy' tangent, hallucinations weren't ever present amongst the listings of reasons.

I don't hallucinate.

It's just not a thing I do.

The glowing portal before me firmly disagrees.

I close my eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

Nope. Still there.

Blue lightning crackles around the edges and zaps the ground below. Leaving the scent of burnt tar wafting into my nostrils. I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"Oh man," I groan, turning to look around to see if anyone else see's the blue glowing thingy. I quickly come to the conclusion that yeah, nobody else has paused to gawk down the empty alleyway like I've done.

"Well this is…awful."

I stare at the portal some more. Wondering whether I should just ignore its existence and go about my day as usual. Live the normal teenage dream. Maybe this will mark my turning point in life. Maybe it's a good thing I've started hallucinating – maybe now I'll act like the daughter my parents always wanted. I'll study long hours and get good grades. Be awarded a scholarship to Stanford and become a high-end lawyer like my mum. Or maybe a veterinarian like dad. I'll do all this and shove down my feelings, pretending to 'be okay when I'm not how teenager of me mum I'm living the angsty dream!'.

I think about it some more.

Bwugh.

"Definitely not."

I shaky my head and skip towards the interesting portal promising a future spent in mental hospitals and dosing up on wacky drugs that make people look like a 70s music disco video. Or was that the 60s?

What would it feel like walking through a hallucination? I suddenly wonder.

Logically I knew it would feel like nothing at all. But to walk through something seemingly solid must be a doozy on your self-esteem.

The portal crackles some more as I hoof a leg into it and

My eyes pop.

Almost like missing a step on a staircase, my body teeters forwards – only there isn't a next step after that, or another, or another, or another. In a cry of fear my body twists and arms lash out, attempting to grab the edges of the portal. It's no use, my fingers manage to brush against a hair of lightning.

And I descend.