I've been learning the piano since I was six years old, learning the cello since I was eight and singing since forever. There's something about music that just captures me. I could spend hours sitting, playing an instrument, and get completely lost in the sound, the language that is music.

I'm into soundtracks too, that's what I wanted to be for a while, a composer. Be able to create something like that had always been one of my dreams. But, that's not what my family wanted.

You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that it would take me nowhere. So no, I'm not going to be a composer, I'm going to be an engineer of some sort, because that's what my parents have decided for me. I mean, I am 19, but I still live with them, so it gets tricky when it comes to whether or not I'm adult enough to make my own decisions.

And I'm the baby of the family, no one wants me to leave the nest. Anyway, I did what my parents asked, enrolled in a top university, just like they had, and I got into an Engineering course at the University of Melbourne (yeah, I'm Australian).

I live a reasonable distance to the uni, so I usually run in, and that's what I was doing.

I had my headphones in, and was listening to the Mass Effect soundtrack. I absolutely adore those compositions, and in my opinion, they're pure genius. Listening to it made me all nostalgic about playing the games.

The song was blasting in my ears as the wind blew my hair from my face, I smiled softly as the song finished. Everything slowed down after that. I didn't see the car coming, just a white blur in my peripheral vision and I only heard the blood curdling screech of wheels breaking in desperation when it was too late. I turned my head, and everything slowed down.

My body froze as I felt my limbs suddenly become heavier, and my heart began to beat faster, an urgent crescendo telling me to move. But I couldn't.

The car, hurtling towards me never hit. At the moment of 'impact', I shut my eyes, waiting for the inevitable. But all that came was a less than severe force that knocked me over.

I hit the ground heavily, with my eyes still clamped shut, my body began to shake as I tightened my fists together. I struggled to breathe deeply before cautiously opening my eyes.

I gasped. The world was spinning around me as I tried to focus on something, anything in front of me.

I must be dead.

I looked around: bright lights, water displays and... wait. A... a turian. I blinked unbelieving, as I looked to see another familiar species from the Mass Effect games. With the aliens congregated, this place didn't look like some afterlife any more. It looked like the Citadel. I looked down at my hands. They were still shaking, more than before, and I couldn't stop my breathing from becoming much faster than was healthy. Taking even faster breaths now, I attempted to push myself off the ground, my limbs turning to jelly, unwilling to cooperate. I felt like screaming, crying, yelling, anything, but my voice hitched in my throat as the wet feeling of tears caressed my cheeks. Part of me was yelling to get up and stop looking like an idiot crying on the floor and another part was telling me to stay exactly there, until everything went back to normal. I wanted my mum, I felt childish for thinking that, but she made everything ok. I just wanted some sign this wasn't real. I let out a sob as I pushed the heel of my palms into my eyes. I gripped my arms, tightly hugging myself. My skin had gone cold and clammy and I had the sudden urge to vomit. Clamping my hand over my mouth before I could do such a thing, I slowly lent forward, causing the world to lurch around me. I was feeling dizzy and lightheaded, and the impulse to shut my eyes was becoming very appealing.

No. You have to stay awake. I could hear my own voice yelling at me, leaving a transcendent echo to reverberate in my head. I cautiously placed one hand in front of me, and then the other, and used them to push myself off the ground. I stumbled slightly as I came to my feet, and met eyes with passer-by's giving me strange looks. I quickly swiped away the tears that were still falling down my face and sniffed.

Turning to my left, I could make out a fuchsia figure, an asari. I took a step closerand recognised her as Avina, the information VI.

Maybe I can get some answers from her.

"He-hello?" I stuttered as I made my way towards the glowing asari.

"Where am I?" I asked softly as the VI turned its holographic body towards me.

"You are located on the Citadel, the Presidium precint." The hologram replied. That much I'd guessed.

"Can you tell me what year it is?" I managed to say through laboured breaths, and a little louder than my previous question. Avina seemed to glow brighter before answering.

"The current year is 2182, date in human days: December 5th" the hologram replied.

I need to find a way home.

I nodded numbly and was combing my hands through my ponytail when Avina interrupted.

"You are not a registered Citadel resident, and do not have permitted allowance to be here. C-Sec has been alerted to your presence. Please stay in the vicinity." The hologram seemed to disregard my presence after that.

My hands were still shaking, and I still felt sick to my stomach.

What the hell is going on?

I couldn't answer that.

I cast my eyes upward, taking in the panoramic view of the Citadel. It was mammoth in proportion to any structure I'd ever seen before, and a sense of vertigo washed over me as I looked up toward the ceiling of the Citadel.

It was surreal, but very much the reality I was now in.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

A/N

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