Hey there! This chapter is going to be a little weird compared to others. This one will use a more reflective view point while the others will be while it's happening. Unless, of course, people would prefer to stay like this. Either way, hope you enjoy!
I've never really thought of my life as a before or after, but, I suppose, many would. They would describe my life as normal before that day happened, that would be the before, then absolutely extraordinary, that would be the after. Nevertheless, I still don't see it that way, however, since many do, I will start the story of my life with what they consider the before.
I was a normal kid born to normal parents, Doug and Priyanka Maheswaran, who gave me the name Connie Maheswaran. They were strict parents who expected me to learn fast and do well in life. Admittedly, in those days, they were beyond restrictive as well. That is why, as a kid, I always loved it when they finally let me go and do things by myself, always making sure to take as much advantage of it as I could. As I got older they got less restrictive and, of course, let me go on adventures, but I'm getting ahead myself.
During those days my best friends were books. The first book in the Unfamiliar Familiar series had just come out and I was in love. Every time I finished the book, which would only take me a few days, I would restart it. In fact, even now I find myself going back and rereading series. Anyway, enough with my ramblings, how about we get to the day when it all started.
It was an absolutely beautiful spring day in Beach City, one without a cloud in the sky, and I had just convinced my Mom to let me go down to the beach by myself. I was humming a tune (I think it might've been a jingle about the cosmos?) with my book in hand and had just reached the beach where I would've turned right to go to my reading spot. However, at that moment a thought came into my mind 'what if I go left?' I didn't know where the thought came from, but I found myself infatuated with it. "Why not?" I said to myself, making a quick turn to the left, not knowing why or what would happen.
After going along for a while, I found myself passing reading spots without so much as a second thought. I remember that I had found my heart rate had risen for a unknown reason. I didn't have much time to dwell on this though as, ironically in retrospect, I came to the base of a mountain. I didn't know what caught my attention about it, just that it did. If I had bothered analyze it though, I would have seen that it had several deep cuts in the rock and that at some points chucks were missing, almost as if someone was trying to build something there. I suppose, I can't be mad at the 6 year-old me for not noticing, but I really wish I did. It would have made the following events much more interesting and strange to me.
As it was though, I was just slightly unnerved, staring up at the mountain like it was some kind of monster. I didn't know how to process it, looking it up then slowing moving my gaze down as I walked along the base, then my eyes caught something strange, the mouth of a cave. Being excited, but not wanting completely ignore the uneasiness in my gut, I slowly made my way to the lip of the cave. Nervously, I backed into the wall just outside the lip and painstakingly slow, at least for my age at the time, I peeked inside to find... an empty cave.
I was a little disappointed to say the least, but even in my disappointment I saw at least one interesting thing, a circular pad with stairs leading to it that was seemingly made of crystals. However, I failed to notice that the empty cave was devoid of life entirely, not even a snail was in there. In fact, I now think, that something about the cave was keeping organic life away, giving them a feeling of unease. However, my young age, combined with my excitement to find something so interesting, made me completely ignore this feeling in my gut. Embarrassingly, I think I ran to the pad, dropping my book at the mouth of the cave, and instantly started to look at it. I went around the base about 5 times, trying to engrave in my memory the beauty of the crystals, and touched them multiple times as well. In case you're wondering, they felt like any other type of crystal, but had a weird mixture of hot and cold to them. Some of the crystals I would touch would almost burn my fingers before cooling to a temperature that I was sure was below freezing, others did the opposite, and others still did anything in-between.
Then, I made the decision that would change my life forever, I got on it. That's right, I got on the strange thing I found in a cave, not my smartest moment, but one I don't regret. I remember slowly walking up the stairs, testing my weight on each one as if it would give any second, until I got onto the base. I looked at the ground a little disappointed, guess I was excepting something to happen, and then I just stood there for a few minutes. Sighing, I started to get off when, and I still don't know how this happened or why it worked, the pad started to glow and as I felt my body going upwards I clamped my eyes shut. If someone had been there to see it, it would have looked like I just disappeared in an upwards flash of blue light, and perhaps, that version of me, had.
Well that's the first chapter. I'm sorry if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes. If you see any please point them out so I can fix them and make this a better story. Feedback is appreciated and, as mentioned above, I hope you enjoyed.
