A gentle breeze blew past my face, moving the leaves on the tree next to me. The sun shined bright over the city in front of me, the sound of kids playing came from the not so distant park. I would have gone farther out, but no other place in Echo Creek was as secluded as here. Even still, the honking of cars could clearly be heard. I slumped down and leaned into the tree, I just wanted to get away for a bit. I always came up there with Kate when we were little, but I was only now realizing the importance of it. I would try to lose myself in it all, only focus on my heartbeat, but the sharp sound of a horn would always bring me back. Peace and quiet was a rare commodity in the city. Something was wrong with me that day. It wasn't because of any specific person, it was just my brain being an asshole. I wanted change, the same life, the same routine, every day was just not cutting it for me.

A pair of footsteps crunched in the grass behind the tree. I sighed before leaning even further into the tree, almost like it was a mother, arms wrapped around me, keeping me safe from the outside world. The footsteps eventually stopped not too far away from me. I turned my head, a Latino boy in a red hoodie greeted me. A frown was firmly planted on his face. "There you are," he said. I looked at him for a few more seconds before looking back at the view. I was never able to understand why there were so little trees in the city, after all, they are the ones that give us oxygen. The boy walked up next to me, "You just left. You at least could've told me or Kate."

I continued looking at the city. It would never beat a forest, but it was still a damn good view. The boy sighed before sitting next to me. Only the wind filled the air before he eventually spoke up. "You know, this kinda reminds me of the times you and Kate would leave," he said. I felt his eyes on me, "You remember, right?"

I looked out for a few more seconds before answering. "Yeah, I do." Visions of the adventures we used to go on filled my head, so did the aftermath of said adventures. I chuckled. "You would get so worried." I looked over at him. "Remember that time you called the police because you thought a monster ate us?"

The boy looked away, a bit of red coming to his cheeks. "Ugh, don't remind me."

"I still remember to this day what that officer told you." I looked back out at the city and put my best police voice on. "Next time you think there's a monster, use your-"

"-magic powers to get rid of them," the boy finished for me. I looked over at him, "Yeah, I remember too." He sighed, "Still one of the most embarrassing things I've ever done."

I held back a laugh. "You sure about that Marco? I still have plenty of stories to tell-"

"Don't tell me them!" he said louder. I smiled before looking away. More silence filled the air, then Marco began to speak. "So... why'd you come up here."

I sighed. "I don't know." A leave fell off of the tree and floated in front of my face. I blew it forward and it began to glide down to the bottom of the hill we were on. I looked at it for a few more seconds. "I guess I just wanted some peace and quiet."

There was a moment of silence. "And am I ruining that?" Marco eventually asked.

I shook my head, "No. The city was already doing that." As I finished, you could hear an argument between two drivers.

Marco looked at the direction of the argument. One of them began to scream at a very loud volume. "I see what you mean," he said. The argument continued. The one who was screaming sounded so enraged, that you couldn't even understand the words he was saying. Marco chuckled, "I feel bad for the person he's screaming at."

The screaming stopped as a car door slammed shut, followed by the car speeding off. "This is L.A., Marco," I said as I leaned back into the tree. "We've both seen far worse."

His head didn't move. "Yeah, I guess." He turned back to the view of the city. Silence lingered for a moment, then Marco stood up. "Welp, I'm going home." He began to walk down the hill. "I'll tell everyone you're okay."

I looked at him as he fought against gravity, trying his best not to fall over. Once he was out of view, I looked back at the city. Even though I had lived there for most of my life, I still wasn't used to it. Well, "used to it" isn't the right phrase. I was most definitely used to it. If you asked me, I'd be able to tell you the directions to anywhere in the city. It's more of me not liking it than not being used to it. Don't get me wrong, Echo Creek is a great city full of great people. I just prefer my original home more. The funny thing is, I don't remember what it looked like. But, for whatever reason, I still preferred it.

I don't know how much time passed; all I know is that I was still looking out at the cityscape. I was still enjoying the view when a swirl of blue light appeared in front of me. I jumped up, initially startled, but quickly calmed down after realizing what was happening. The swirl began to fade, a person identical in appearance to myself sat behind it. He had everything I had. The black jacket, the brown hair, he even had my locket. One thing was different, though. His blue eyes. He blinked a few times and glanced around before looking at me. "Sup," he said. His voice was similar, but not entirely the same as mine.

I smiled. "Hey, James." James had always been with me since I was little. I couldn't tell you what he was, but I could say he was my friend.

He stared at me for a few more seconds before walking over next to the tree. He pretended to lean against it; if he actually did he would go straight through it. "You feeling better yet?" he asked.

I stayed silent as I returned to the view. The sun was already close to going down, but now it was only a smidge away from beginning to disappear behind the horizon. I picked up a rock and tossed it down the hill, staring closely as gravity did its work. It tumbled and rolled with great speed until it enviably reached its natural end. "I guess," I eventually said.

Silence once again filled the air before honking came from all directions. James gained a half-smile. "Guess you never got the peace and quiet you wanted, huh?"

I nodded. "Yep." I looked down at the playground, some of the parents were dragging their kids out of the park, others had seemed to convince their kids with ease. There was this one kid who was sitting on a swing set, going back and forth, back and forth. They were looking up at me, amazement gleaming in their eyes, almost like I was some dragon resting on a hill. Who knows, maybe I was in their head. A sudden calm washed over me as I looked at James. "Turns out though, I didn't really need it."

He squinted and raised an eyebrow. "What did you need then?"

I turned back to the view. The clear blue sky began to gain an orange tint. "A good view."

James stared at me for a few seconds before smiling, shaking his head, and turning to the view as well. "You're too cheesy sometimes Landin. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. But it's true though…" I looked over at him. "I feel a lot better after seeing this."

"Well if we don't get home soon, you won't be seeing anything."

I looked at him for a few seconds before getting off the tree. "Fair point." I began to walk down the hill, not struggling nearly as much as Marco seemed to. Another swirl of light appeared in front of me before James came out of it. He started to walk next to me as I passed him. "Hope I wasn't gone for too long," I said.

"Judging by the sun, you probably were."

By the time I got to my house, only a sliver of the sun was visible. The cactuses that you could spot from a mile away in the evening could only barely be seen. I never did get why they put those up. The cool summer breeze was in the air, a rare feeling in L.A. As I went up to the front door, I couldn't help but yawn. I was looking forward to collapsing on my mattress. Pushing the door open, the same colorful interior greeted me. Like always, the living room was what I saw first. Marco was spread out on the couch, a bowl of nachos in his lap. He waved at me as I fully entered, I smiled and waved back.

I walked over to the staircase and peeked behind them; Dad was making something in the oven while Mom seemed to be doing her work on the kitchen counter. They hadn't seemed to notice me. I stared for a little bit longer before heading up the stairs and to my room's door. Before I could open it, a voice came from down the hall. "Landin?" she asked.

I turned to them; it was a girl around my age. Their hair was a mixture of brown and blonde and they had casual clothes on. I sighed, "Hey Kate." Kate was my sister, the last fragment I had of my old life.

She came closer to me. "I was beginning to worry. I mean, Marco said you were fine, but three hours had passed and there still was no sign of you." Classic Kate. She had always looked out for me, it's kind embarrassing considering I'm the older one.

"Yeah… sorry about that. I kind of lost track of time."

She shook her head. "No need to say sorry, I'd just wish you'd tell someone when you leave. If it wasn't for Marco finding you, Mom and Dad would have freaked out."

"Oh… I didn't realize that." I knew Mom and Dad cared about me, but I didn't know I freaked them out whenever I left. I thought they were used to my shit by now. "Maybe I should tell them I'm home…"

Kate stared at me for a few seconds before speaking up. "No, I'll do that for you." She glanced over my body. "You look exhausted."

I smiled. "Thanks." She nodded before walking past me and down the stairs. I yawned and rubbed my eye before going into my room.

I flipped the light switch on, I had all the shit you'd normally find in a room, with one extra addition. I was lucky enough to get my own bathroom. It felt nice not having to share a shower with someone. Kate and Marco weren't so lucky though, they had to share a bathroom with each other. Each side of their counter was the polar opposite of each other and yet eerily similar. I walked over to my bed and, as I had planned, collapsed on it. The day wasn't exactly what you'd call exhausting, but I was still on the verge of passing out none the less.

I was about to let myself drift off into sleep until I realized I hadn't changed. I sighed, sat up, and went over to my dresser. I felt James appear behind me. I watched him walk over to my window, the sun was entirely gone at that point. "At least you made it home before sunset," he said. I nodded before pulling out my pajamas. Well, "pajamas" isn't the best word to describe them. They were just a pair of sweat pants and a red shirt, but I wore them when I went to sleep, so I guess it counts. Even though I couldn't see it, I knew Jame's shivered. "I hate walking those streets at night."

I walked into the bathroom, brown eyes stared back at me in the mirror. I sighed before beginning to peel my contacts off. "I don't blame you," I said as one of them popped off. I dropped them in their container, "There are some fucked up people that come out at night." As I said, Echo Creek is full of great people, but there are a few bad apples in the bunch. I took my other contact off and looked back in the mirror, my green eyes stared back. "You shouldn't be scared though," I said as I started to take my jacket and shirt off.

James waltzed into the bathroom and pretended to lean against the wall. He stared at me through the mirror. "And why's that?" he asked.

Once they were both off, I put on my red shirt. "Listen, I know you probably still remember the scary stories Dad told us..." I double-checked my neck to make sure my locket was on. "...but most of the murderers he talked about are either dead, or in jail." I quickly changed out of my jeans and into my sweatpants. "Besides, there hasn't been a murder in Echo Creek in years."

"Well, who's to say we won't be next?"

I stared at him blankly before shaking my head. "I can never win an argument with you."

He half-smiled. "It's because of my charisma, isn't it?"

"No..." I flipped the light off and went out of the bathroom. "It's because you're too damn stubborn!"

James followed behind me as I plopped down on my bed. He didn't say anything before fully smiling. "Yeah, that's true too."

I waved my hands through him like he was a cloud of gas, "Now screw off! I'm going to go to sleep!"

He squinted at my alarm clock before looking back at me. "Already? The sun just went down though."

"I know! And I'm exhausted!" I continued to wave my hands through him despite it not seeming to affect him. Eventually, I stopped. Not because I wanted to, but because I was tired. I got into the covers and rolled to the side he wasn't on.

A few moments of silence passed before he spoke up. "Fine. I'll go," he said. I still didn't turn to him. A bright blue light began to fill the room, "See you in a bit." And with that, the blue light disappeared and the room fell silent.

I let out air I didn't even know I was holding in. "Finally," I said to myself. "Sweet silence." I adjusted myself under my blankets and closed my eyes. On some days I'd struggle to fall asleep, but today wasn't one of those days. The moment I closed my eyes it felt like I was sucked into sleep. My awareness of my surroundings almost entirely disappeared and, like a baby in their mother's arms, I was out like a light.

"...Bang!"

I jolted out of my dream, noises were coming from my window.

"...Sorry!" A girl said from outside.

I opened my eyes, my room was filled to the brim with pinkish-purple light. All of it emitted from my window. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, part of me was still convinced I was dreaming. Dazedly, I got up and almost fell on my way to the window. Once I got there, my jaw almost fell off from what I saw. A carriage, with sparkling diamonds on it, was being pulled by two lion-like creatures. That part was weird enough, but the thing it was coming out of turned my brain into mush. The best way I can describe it is as if it was a 2d image combined with a vortex. The portal had the same color as the light and seemed to be the source of it. A treasure chest of sorts had seemed to fall off the carriage, I assumed that was the source of the bang. A girl in what appeared to be a royal dress stood next to it. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

Even though I was focused on what was outside my window, I still noticed my door open. I snapped to it, the purple light from the vortex fading as I did. A quick, blue flash and a strange sound came from behind me, but I didn't turn around. Kate poked her head into my room, "Landin? Are you awake-" Her eyes landed on me. "Oh. You are." She stepped into the room. "Mom and Dad told me to get you. We apparently have company."

I stared at her for a few more seconds before looking back out the window. The vortex, the carriage, the treasure chest, everything weird about the entire scene had vanished; replaced by an antique car. The treasure chest that had fallen over had turned into a suitcase and the girl next to it wore normal clothing. "...what the fuck..." I said under my breath as I rubbed my face.

I could feel Kate's gaze on the back of my head. "Something wrong?" she asked.

I continued to stare out the window. "No... I just..." I thought about explaining it to her, but it would just make me sound crazy. If I'm being honest, I felt crazy. I turned to her and tried to make my face look casual. "...I don't know. I guess I was thinking." Judging by her face, she didn't believe what I said. I walked out of my room before she could say anything. "Come on, let's go see this company."

A/N:

And we're done! First of many. For the people coming back, thanks for sticking with the story. I'll try to make it interesting for you. And for the people who had never read this before, welcome! Hope I was able to introduce the characters well. Sorry to people who are coming back for posting a day late. I forgot to do it yesterday, and by the time I remembered, no one was most likely awake. With the original story, things happened much slower. Don't expect that here because we aren't slowing down. Until chapter 5, I will be (hopefully) adding a new chapter every two days. After chapter 5, it's up to my terrible writing schedule. Thanks for reading, see you in the next chapter!