The Dimension Walkers: The Pearl of Chaos

Summary: Avril Burgundy was just wanted to have a normal summer. She didn't ask to be sucked into her favorite cartoon, nor did she ask to end up in a camp full of special people! To make matters worse, an eight hundred-year-old sorcerer plans to escape and he's going to use the Pearls of Chaos to do it. Avril has to go on a quest to prevent the Sorcerer from escaping. But, something else lurks in the shadows. Something that's been imprison for centuries...

A/N: More changes from the rewrite are in this chapter, like Aiden! His name and backstory has changed, as well as how he met Avril, Ally, and Alice.

Also, if there are any mistakes or errors, I strongly apologize! I tried my best to fix everything! I am not perfect, after all.

~Chapter Four~

~Randy Gets a Reality Check~

(-Line-Break-)

The train pulled up in front of a tall hill with a large pine tree on top. The sky was mixture of oranges, pinks, reds, and purples. The sun slowly rose over the horizon, and the chirps of birds echoed through the air. The teens and kids grabbed their luggage and walked across a field of tall grass towards the hill. I stepped onto the field, seeing the grass reaching up to my hips. A cool, summer breeze hit my face, making my hair float around.

"Wow..." I gasped.

"Welcome to the Sol Forest of Ocean View, Oregon," Natalia chimed as she stood next to me. "We campers like to name the forest that surrounds our camp and near the town where DW's settle. Camp Hood has a forest called Luna Woods."

"What's their little safe haven town called?" I asked, curious.

"Hunter's Haven," the Italian answered. "Don't judge, okay?"

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my pants, and shrugged. "Hey, I think that's a cool name. Not gonna judge, okay?"

"Good," Natalia smiled. "Now, let's get going."

Carrie, Ally, and Alice stepped out of the train, with Randy and Nomi trailing close behind. Natalia nodded her head, and started walking towards the hill. I followed after her, with Ally and Alice next to me. Ally stared at the hill, and gasped.

"I...recognized this place," she said. "My parents took my siblings and I here over the summer when I was four."

"H-Hey," Alice said. "My folks took me and my siblings here too, when I was five. Said something about this place is where my destiny will be. Sounded like absolute blasphemy, like they've gone mad."

"Guess they're not crazy after all," I said.

I stared up at the hill, trying to remember anything familiar about this place. But, nothing came to mind. I didn't remember much of anything before I was six years old. It was all a fuzzy haze, like something was missing from my mind. I felt as if someone had took a piece of my memory away from me, like they didn't want me to remember. But then again, no one remember much from when they were a baby. So, maybe it was just normal.

The sun was now past the horizon, slowly going up through the sky. We stood on the hilltop, standing close to the pine tree. In the high branches of the tree, something silver glittered in the early morning light. The other teens and kids walked passed us, going to the valley. Ally gasped, her eyes going wide. For a second, I thought she would get those star eyes from that cartoon my brother liked watching. She let out a squeal, shaking her fists in joy.

"This place looks amazing!" she exclaimed.

I looked down at the valley, my jaw dropping in awe. The valley was large, probably larger than five or six football fields. Towards the west, there was a large beach with a long dock. The sea was shimmering blue, the waves lazily crashing onto the shore. From the beach, there was a small river leading towards a small lake towards the forest. Nestled near the trees, there was a four-story, Victorian-styled house with a wrap-around porch. The house was white with black trimmings, with a silver weather vane in the shape of a fairy on the roof and a large maple-tree shading the house. There were some Greecian columns on the front porch, which was odd. Maybe the builder was going for some Greek influences on the house. Across from the house was a cluster of cabins, maybe over twenty of them. I could see people with luggage going into the cabins, as well as going into the forest. There must be more cabins than what I was seeing.

Natalia pointed towards the house. "That's the Main House," she said. "That is where our...directors live and where inhabitants that has to stay with us go to."

"Inhabitants?" I asked.

Carrie nodded towards Randy and Nomi. "Non-campers," the French girl said. "The people from other dimensions that are not the Reality Dimension. We also call them innocents, but inhabitants have a nicer ring to it."

"I prefer to be called by my name," Randy huffed. "Thank you very much."

"Don't worry, Sandy," Carrie said.

"Randy, it's Randy," the purple-haired boy said. "Geez! It's not that hard to remember, goddammit!"

My jaw dropped, staring at the purple-haired teen in surprise. Ally gasped, covering her hand with her mouth. Alice gawked at him, as if he grew a second head. Randy froze, his eyes slowly growing wider. Carrie snorted, rolling her eyes, while Natalia covered her mouth to hide her giggles. Nomicon raised a brow at him, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips.

"What the hell was that?" he asked. "Gah! What the fuck did I just say? Shit...NO! WHAT THE UTTER FUCK IS GOING ON?! DAMMIT! I SAID IT AGAIN!"

Carrie and Natalia doubled over and started laughing. Natalia was covering her mouth and Carrie held her stomach. Randy glared at them, fuming. I continued to stare at Randy, absolutely confused. Randy couldn't cuss. In the show, he used the slang that everyone in Norrisville used. He never said "what the fuck" or "what the hell", but said "what the juice". Randy used "wonk" instead of "shit", and used "honking" instead of "fucking". Just watching him curse felt alien, since I was so used to him use the show's slang.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Alice asked. "You blokes hearing this too? I need a bloody explanation right now! Randy's acting like he's off his trolley*."

"It's called a 'Reality Check'," Natalia said once we settled down. "A Reality Check is where the influences of a person's home dimension goes away and they start to see reality in the Reality Dimension. For Randy, it seems he is turning into a normal, teenage boy. Which includes the cursing, probably hormones, and the typical teenage dilemma."

"Hormones?" Randy asked. "Oh hell no." Then, he let out a frustrated groan and smacked his forehead. "This feel so mother fucking weird."

"Deal with your problems later, twat," Alice scoffed. "Blimey! Cursing is very normal among us teens, as well as hormones. If you complain, I will be very cheesed off*."

"Let's just go," Randy grunted, throwing a glare at Alice. "There's probably some interesting bits 'n bobs here..."

Alice blinked, staring at Randy in shock. She mouthed "bits 'n bobs", which I remembered was a British term. And, just for a moment, I could just hear a hint of a British accent laced in Randy's voice. I started wondering what Reality Checks could really do. Natalia said it makes inhabitants (man that's weird to say) see reality. What if Reality Checks could shape a person to become the more "reality" version of themselves? With that in mind, what was Randy's "reality" version?

I quickly dismissed those thoughts. There was a chance that these questions could be answered here. We soon walked down the hill, into the camp.

/break\

Once we approached the Main House, there were two adults sitting at a table and speaking with one another. There was a glass chessboard with glass chess pieces on the table, along with with two, golden goblets. The adults were a man and a woman and they radiated this strange, powerful aura.

The man was tall and muscular, with tan olive skin. His hair was blue-ish black, shaggy but neat. The man's eyes were dark blue, much like Natalia's except his eyes were full of wisdom and power. He wore a navy-blue shirt underneath a black blazer, dark grey slacks, and black loafers. On his head was a dark grey fedora with a dark blue strip of cloth. He reminded me of a ruthless mafia boss. It didn't help any that he spoke with a heavy Italian accent, motioning his hands.

The woman was tall, slim, and curvy. She had hip-length, curly hair that was black as a raven's feathers, with dark violet highlights streaked throughout her hair. Her eyes were constantly changing, like a kaleidoscope. When I first looked at the woman, her eyes were stormy grey. But, as we walked closer, they turned sparkling amethyst. Her skin was peachy with freckles dotting her cheeks, but the freckles looked as if they were fading away. The woman wore a dark purple, sleeveless dress, the skirt reaching down to her knees. She had on a black hat with a veil, lace gloves, and dark red, three-inch heels. She was beautiful, and she spoke with a light French accent.

"Those are the directors," Natalia said. "Deamata and Overseer. They're...gods so show some respect, please."

"Exactly what my bloody parents say," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Minus the 'they're gods' part."

I was about to say something when a shout caught our attention. Carrie and Natalia whirled around, big smiles gracing their lips. I turned around, and saw a boy jogging up to us.

The boy looked about two years older than us, maybe sixteen or seventeen. He was pretty tall and lean like a swimmer. His dirty blonde hair was wild and messy, looking as if he just rolled out of bed. His eyes were startling, stormy blue and he had slightly tanned, peachy skin. A friendly smile graced his lips. He remined me of those nice sophomore guys at our school, with his faded jeans and sneakers. The only thing difference was that he was wearing a red shirt with the words "CAMP WALKER" in gold. Above the words was a picture of a bronze shield with the infinite symbol, with two golden swords crossed over one another behind it. It was a pretty cool camp shirt. But, what really got my attention was the leather cord with seven golden charms hanging from the cord that was around the guy's neck.

I blinked, and turned to look at Carrie and Natalia. They too were wearing the same leather cord around their neck, with seven silver charms hanging from the cord. How I didn't notice that was beyond me.

"Jake!" Natalia called. She ran up to the guy and almost knocked him over. "Gods, I missed you! You were gone for a quest for almost a year! I was worried sick."

The guy, Jake, chuckled and hugged Natalia tightly. "Sorry to worry you, Talia," he said. "I never expected the quest to take this long. But, ya know, it's the Shadow Realm and days can become months."

"Shadow Realm?" Carrie asked. "Goddammit, I thought you said the Forgotten Realm! What even is the Shadow Realm?"

"It's the places in between dimensions and realms," Jake explained. "It's like the Ghost Realm, only larger and more complex."

Ally and Alice looked at the guy, instantly drooling over him. I snorted, rolling my eyes. I looked back at the directors, watching them in curiosity. They continued chatting, sometimes throwing glances towards me. I caught the woman's glance, and she smiled faintly. Then, she turned back to the man, said something, and stood up. She walked over us, smiling warmly.

"Natalia, Carrie," she said, her French accent coming on strong. "You brought the campers safely to camp. Oh, hello Jacob. Aren't you supposed to be resting up in the infirmary, Mr. McKnight?"

"Infirmary?" Natalia asked, angrily.

"I just got bruised up," Jake said, raising his hands up in defense.

Natalia glared, and grabbed his arm. The Italian dragged him off towards the back of the Main House. Carrie rolled her eyes, and grabbed Randy and Nomi.

"I'll take them inside, Mother," she told Deamata. "Should I explain things to them?"

I slowly blinked, doing a double take. Did Carrie just say that the director was her mom? Or was I not hearing things correctly? I looked carefully at Carrie and Deamata, glancing back and forth between them. There were some similarities between them that I could see. They both have the same fading freckles, the glowing eyes, and the same hair. Their accents were both strong, and both of them had the same, strong aura.

"Oui mon cher," the older woman said. "Yes dear."

"Just don't try to confuse the purple-haired boy," Overseer called. "You do that enough with the campers, mia nipote. That boy is confused as it is, don't want the idiota...how do you say it...'freaking' out."

Randy frowned, causing Nomi to smirk in return. Carrie laughed, and led Nomi and Randy off towards the back of the house. That left Ally, Alice, and I with the two directors. Ally nervously looked at the ground, while Alice gave a polite smile. I, on the other hand, wasn't so polite or nervous. I looked up at Deamata crossed my arms over my chest.

"Care to explain why we are here?" I asked, raising a brow. "Because I'm still fucking confused. I mean...Dimension Walkers? Gods? Nine Realms? This just sounds made up."

"Ah...an unbeliever," Deamata said with a smirk. "Mon chère, you just met your favorite cartoon character. You have seen a Shadow Fairy, rode the Walker Express, and seen a book come to life!"

"I think I ate something bad," I said. "Magic mushroom...or some schist like that. Or maybe I'm just dreaming." I closed my eyes, clenching my fists at my sides. "And when I wake up, I'll be in my room. I probably stayed up late writing or drawing or reading."

In all honesty, I knew this had to be real. Why was I denying it? Maybe I was scared because I was this being with powers that could label me a freak. Maybe I was terrified because some of my favorite books could be actually real and he could be real. But I didn't want to get my hopes because I know I could never get him. Maybe it was because I was furious that parents never told me about this. I didn't know; all I knew was that I just wanted answers.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Avril-Drew," Deamata sighed. "This is very real, and not some trick. You are not dreaming."

"Fuck," I cursed. "Hell no. This is not happening."

"Come come," the goddess said, ushering us towards the porch. "We shall talk more inside."

We walked into the Main House, the door closing behind inside of the Main House felt like home. The walls were silvery-white, and the floor was made of mahogany. There was a dark purple door, leading to the kitchen. In front of us, there was a staircase leading upstairs. The gods ushered us to the living room.

The living room was pretty big, with a stone fireplace with a map of the camp above the fireplace's mantle. A dark blue, fluffy couch faced the fireplace, with an oak coffee table in front of it. A black cat was sleeping on the couch, its tail waving lazily. A baby German Shepherd was hiding underneath the coffee table, chewing on a bleach-white bone. The puppy perked up its ears, and walked out from under the table. It raced over to us, and yapped happily at Overseer. The god smiled, and picked up the pup.

"Hello Gio," the blue-eyed god greeted.

The pup barked, panting excitedly. I chuckled, reaching over to pet it between the ears. The pup, Gio, barked again and waved his tail. Dogs always seemed to like me, and I loved dogs back.

"Why don't you girls take a seat on the couch?" Deamata offered. "Don't mind petite sorcière. She's a heavy sleeper."

Ally instantly scooped the cat up, and placed it in her lap. The cat softly purred as Alice scratched her behind the ear. I sat next to Alice, staring at the fire. Deamata stood in front of the fire, smiling faintly.

"You know," she said. "When your parents came to this camp they became the best of friends, Alison and Alice."

"I prefer 'Ally' ma'am," Ally said.

"Of course," Deamata said. "You're just like your parents, Ally. Smart, wise, and always thirsty for more knowledge. Your father, Jason, tried to not be popular since his family, the Σοφία clan, was famous. That's how your mother, Alexandra, fell in love with him."

"Your parents found love here too, Alice," Overseer cut in. "Your father, William, tried relentlessly to find more clues to defeat the Rabbit's Curse. Your mother, Jane, loved his determination and passion."

Ally gasped, smiling widely. Alice muttered under her breath, probably about how she just thought about her parents doing the do. I looked at Deamata, twisting my skull ring. The kaleidoscope-eyed goddess noticed this, and smiled towards me.

"Your mother and...father were excellent campers," Deamata said. "Your mother, Renee, attended Camp Hood while your...father, Robert, attended Camp Walker. They were part of the camp pen-pals program, and became the best of friends. Their friendship made their relationship stronger. And when you were born, they were overjoiced."

"Why didn't they tell us about Dimension Walkers?" Ally asked. "I would have been overjoyed!"

"Yeah," I chimed in. "Why?"

Deamata picked up a picture frame. She stared down at it, rubbing her thumb against the glass. The goddess sighed, and looked over at Overseer. The god walked over to her, setting the puppy on the ground.

"They wanted to protect you, Avril-Drew," he said. "Ally, your parents were planning to take you and your siblings to came this July, next month. Alice, next week your parents were going to take you and your siblings here. But Avril-Drew..." He paused, then continued. "They did not want you to come to camp, since they were afraid."

"Afraid of what?" I asked.

"Nevermind that now," Overseer quickly dismissed. "Right now, you and your friends must get settle into your cabins. My daughter, Natalia, and Carolina are waiting for you by the commons area. Gio will lead the way."

/break\

Gio the dog walked in front of us, barking gleefully at passing campers. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, using my beanie as a shield. Ally and Alice walked by my sides, linking our arms together. The "commons area" was apparently the area with the first thirteen main cabins a few meters across from the Main House.

The commons area was this big patch of bright green grass with a large hearth in the middle. The cabins circled around the commons area, almost making a crescent. Kids of different ages hung around the commons area or the cabins. Some were older, some were younger, and some were the same age as me. I glanced around at the cabins, catching my breath.

They were the most interesting collection of oddities I have ever seen. From what little I knew of summer camps, the cabins were supposed to look alike. That wasn't the case at Camp Walker. Each cabin was different, in a good way. Odd numbers were to the right, and even numbers were to the left. One cabin looked like a steampunk factory with smokestacks and bronze gears. Another cabin constantly kept changing appearance, structure, and color. We stopped at the hearth, staring at the two head cabins.

Cabin one was high and mighty, with thick, Roman columns at the front. The tall, golden doors had bronze clocks on them, with hourglass-shaped handles as door knobs. The cabin reminded me of the Roman buildings and temples Ally read about in her architecture books. Around the cabin, kids with dark hair, tan or olive skin, and dark blue eyes lingered around. Italian music played from inside the cabin, which surprised me.

"The kids kinda remind me of Natalia," Ally said. "That must be the Overseer cabin."

"How are you so sure?" asked Alice.

"Maybe Dimension Walkers aren't just people with powers given to them by gods," Ally mused. "Maybe they can also be childern of the gods that gave Dimension Walkers the power."

"Huh," I said. "That seems logical."

Ally scoffed. "I am a logical person, after all."

Cabin two was a tall, grand Gothic building. The walls were creme colored, with onyx, flying buttress. The pointed arch door were covered by silver veils, with a stone gargoyle above the arch. On the roof, ravens and crows nested there and tall, willow trees shaded the cabin. Three or four kids lingered around the cabin, but quickly went inside. I only caught a glimpse of their dark hair and purple eyes.

"That's the Deamata cabin," I said, pointing at cabin two. "Carrie's cabin."

"You're learning things quickly," a voice said.

Carrie walked up to us, resting her arm on my shoulder. The punk-Goth smirked at me, and I smirked back.

"This is actually not complicated," I said. "Though...this is just the beginning of things."

"Correct," she laughed. "Now come on, let me show you to your cabins, mon ami."

We walked away from the hearth and headed towards Cabin six. Cabin six was like a mini Greek temple. The walls and columns were pure white, with hints of blue. The tall, silvery-grey doors had snakes carved into them. Above the door, a barn owl was deep asleep in its nest. Ally gasped, her eyes sparkling.

"Welcome to the Giver Cabin," Carrie said. Then, she peered into the door. "HARRIET! GET YOUR NERDY ASS OUT HERE!"

A grumbled was heard, and a girl walked out. The girl looked about a year or two older than me. She had curly, medium brown hair with dark blonde highlights that reached down to her shoulder blades. Her round, owlish eyes were stormy-grey; like cloud during a thunderstorm. She was tall and athletic looking, her skin was peachy with a slight tan. She wore a camp shirt the guy Jake wore, baggy grey shorts, and light blue sneakers. The girl pushed a pair of thick glasses up the bridge of her nose, glaring at Carrie.

"Hey Harriet," Carrie sang.

"What in Athena's name do you want?" Harriet snapped. "I was in the middle of reading something!"

I pushed Ally in front of me. She glared at me, frowning. I shrugged, smirking. Ally rolled her eyes, and walked up to Harriet. She held out her hand and flashed a bright smile.

"Hello," Ally said. "My name is Alison Monica Σοφία. I prefer to be called 'Ally', and apparently I am part of the Σοφία clan."

Harriet's grey eyes went wide, and she shook Ally's hand carefully. Soon, they started babbling about architecture and literature. I glanced over at Alice, who pouted slightly. But then, she huffed and turned around.

"Can we get to my bloody cabin now?" she asked, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. "I wanna meet my kind and be mates with them!"

"Alright," Carrie chuckled.

We walked across the commons area, towards Cabin Eleven. But, where a cabin should've been was a large hole with a stone archway over it. The hole had a wooden door over it with a ruby-red "11" on it. Alice and I looked at Carrie, confused. Carrie rolled her eyes, and bent down. She knocked on the door twice, resting her arms on her knee.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" a muffled voice asked.

"Why I haven't the slightest clue," Carrie replied. "Whitney Rabbit, you have a new cabinmate. Her name's Alice Kingfisher, daughther of William Scarlet Kingfisher."

The door popped open, and a white hair girl popped out. Her skin was so white, I almost thought she was an albino. But then, she wiped her cheeks, revealing her fairly peachy skin. Her eyes were the brightest shade of blue, and freckles dotted her cheeks. Her two front teeth were bucked like a rabbit's. She wore a camp shirt, light blue tights, and black ballet flats.

"Well 'ello there!" Whitney said, her British accent becoming apparent. "Oh my gosh! So you're Mr. Kingfisher's daughter!" She held out her hand and helped Alice inside. "Come on now! It's nearly tea time and you know what that means!"

"Time to celebrate someone's un-birthday?" Alice asked.

"Correct!"

Alice squealed with delight and disappeared into the hole. The door shut behind them, leaving me with Carrie. The French girl chuckled, and stood up. She nodded her head towards the Overseer and Deamata cabins.

"Come on," she said. "Your cabin's that way."

I nodded my head, and we walked over to cabins one and two. Carrie glanced over at Cabins three and four, frowning slightly. I tilted my head, and looked at the cabins. My jaw dropped, and I caught my breath. There was only one word that came out of my mouth when I saw the cabins.

"Whoa..."

Cabin Three wasn't high and mighty as Cabin one. It was two stories tall, the outside black as obsdian. The door was bronze, with an infinity symbol carved in. Above the door, there was a carving of a red phoenix with actual flames eminating from the drawing. Silver dots were spread all over the outside walls of the cabin, faintly twinkling. The porch of the cabin (yeah, it had a porch) had a swinging seat and a telescope pointing up towards the sky. There were any kids around the cabin, and probably there weren't any inside.

Cabin Four was similar to Cabin Three. It was two stories tall, but the outside was purple as amethyst. The door was platinum, with a swirling vortex that acutally glowed carved in. Above the door, there was a carving of an animal that looked like a combination of a phoenix and an owl. Swirls of black were spread over the walls of the outside, looking as if they were moving. The porch of the cabin was covered by a silvery veil.

"The Cosmos and Chaos cabins," Carrie told me. "Chaos and Cosmos hadn't had any kids for years."

"Why are you putting me in these cabins?" I asked.

"I don't know," Carrie admitted. "Before Natalia and I left to retrieve you and your friends, Mother said place the one with a strange aura into the her younger brother's cabin."

"Younger brother?"

The purple-eyed girl rolled her eyes. "Cosmos, Chaos, Overseer, and Deamata are siblings. They are the first generation Primordials, the Golden Blood Primordials. My mother is the eldest of the siblings. Natalia's father, Overseer, is the second eldest. And Chaos and Cosmos are the youngest and twins." She waved her hand dismissivly. "You'll learn more about it in True History 101. Now get some rest."

I nodded, smirking slightly. Carrie shook her head, smiling faintly. She walked over to cabin two, disappearing in the arch. I walked over to cabin three. I took one step onto the porch, then stopped. I looked behind me, looking around camp. This was going to be my life now. It felt odd, yet comforting. At least I wasn't alone, or else it was going to be living hell for me. I already dealt with hell once; I didn't want to deal with it once again.

"Aiden..." I muttered out of the blue.

Walking into the cabin, I took a good look around. The walls were dark purple and smooth to the touch. On one side of the the walls were torches lit by multicolored flames. Bunk beds lined that wall; the beds' metal frame was black and the sheets were dark red. The other walls had different-colored gems and jewels adorning it, shining softly in the low lighting. Another set of bunk beds lined the wall; the beds' metal frame was dark red and the sheets were black. The carpeted floor was dark-red, with flecks of purple. The ceiling was pitch-black, and was adorn with diamonds and a large, crescent-shaped opal. It reminded me of the night sky; the diamonds were the stars and the large opal was the moon. In the middle of the cabin, there was a large bed with black blankets, white covers, and red pillows—probably the cabin councilor's bed. Towards the back of the cabin, there was a black metal staircase leading to the second floor. Near the front door, there was a dark orange door labeled "bathroom".

I took off my hoodie from around my waist, and put it on. I plopped onto the councilor's bed, groaning softly. The bed was so soft and fluffy, it was like sleeping on a cloud. I was ready to fall asleep when I felt something in my hoodie. Sitting up, I reached into my hoodie pocket and pulled out a Polaroid picture. I stared down at it, a ghost of a smile gracing my lips.

It was a picture Ally had a year ago. It was from August eighteenth, my fourteenth birthday. A boy and I stood underneath the tree in my backyard, facing each other. I was smiling brightly, and the boy gave a shy smile. I was wearing a red tank top with a white skull, black mini-skirt with dark red tights underneath, and silver studded black combat boots. My over-sized black hoodie I had now was tied around my waist, and my skull ring was glinted in the sunlight.

The boy was skinny and lanky, taller than me by a few inches. He had unruly, dark silky hair that curled up at the ends. His skin was pale with an olive tinge, with a light dusting of freckles on his cheeks. His round eyes were warm, dark brown, with a ring of silver around the pupils. He wore a light orange shirt that said "FOX TROT", baggy blue jeans, and black-and-red Converse. Around his neck was a necklace with silver charm that was in the shape of an angel's wings. His name was Niccolò Aiden Enjeru, a boy who was very dear to my heart.

I laid back down, placing the picture on my chest. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep. As soon as I did, I wish I hadn't.

/break\

I've always hated dreams. Either they were too happy, or they were too depressing, or scared the living crap out of me. I never had a dream that I actually liked.

This dream was included in the list of "dreams I hated". It was when Aiden and I met.

I was about nine or ten. I stood at the bus stop, playing with the straps of my backpack. Red ribbons were braided into my hair, and I wore a lacy white dress and black flats. Ally was reading a book behind me, and Alice was braiding her hair. The sun shined brightly, and puffy white clouds blanketed the sky. A soft, spring breeze blew in my face.

The yellow school bus pulled up, the horn honking. The doors opened and the bus driver, Mr. Montez, smiled at us. We walked into the bus, heading towards the back. Kids were talking and laughing, some throwing paper wads around. Some waved at us, others greeted us warmly. Ally and Alice took the last seats in the back. I frowned, and looked around. To my left, there was a boy sitting by himself. He drank out of one those cup containers, the one adults used to bring coffee to work. The boy was reading the comics section of the newspaper. I smiled, and sat down next to him. He glanced up at me, brushing his dark, unruly silky hair out of his eyes.

"Hello," I said. "I'm Avril."

"Hello," he mumbled, his Italian accent coming on strong. "I'm Aiden."

I stared into his brown eyes, marveling at the freckles dotting his cheeks. He glanced at me, and I quickly looked away. Aiden shrugged, and went back to reading. I could hear Ally teasing me, saying we looked like the perfect couple. I ignored her, naturally, and leaned back in my seat.

When we reached the school I had followed after Aiden, with Ally and Alice following after me. He opened the door for me, and we walked into Ms. Palladino's class. Dropping off our backpacks, Aiden sat in the back with me and my friends. He smiled at us. I raised a brow, and asked him why he wanted to sit by us. Aiden said that we seemed nice and wanted to hang out with us. I blinked, and blushed brightly.

The rest of the school day, we stuck around each other. I partnered up with him when we had to decorate cookies. His cookies were a complete mess. Aiden had just squirted a lot of icing and put a pile of sprinkles on the cookies. I laughed, and told him that was a weird way to decorate a cookie. Then, he told me he never decorated a cookie before. He was an orphan, and he was currently adopted by the Enjeru's, a nice Japanese couple that would babysit me and my brother, Carter. I stared at him, shocked.

During music class, he showed me how to play guitar while the rest of the class just made noise. I never took my eyes off him once, and neither did he. He smiled and looked at me. Aiden told me that Mr. Enjeru was teaching him how to play instruments, and Mrs. Enjeru was teaching how to speak Japanese. I asked him if he could speak fluent Italian, because I was curious about his Italian accent. He said he could, and started softly singing an old Italian lullaby. His voice was like an angel's, but I never told him.

At lunch, Aiden and I talked. We argued about what cartoon was better and talked about our favorite things. Aiden loved autumn, and said his favorite color was black. I told him my favorite color was red, and that I loved winter. And then, we both blurted out that we really like dogs. I blushed, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Ally and Alice watched us, smirking knowingly. I could've sworn I heard them singing that stupid kissing in a tree song.

When the bell rang for recess, we headed to a tree while everyone else bee-lined to the playground. Alice started climbing the tree, laughing with glee. Ally sat on the swing that was tied to the tree, her nose buried in a book. Aiden leaned against, reading a book. I laid on the ground, my head resting on his thigh. I played with a large green leaf, folding it again and again. Aiden looked over at me, and smiled.

The last part of the dream was Aiden and I sneaking out while the class watched some boring video. We sneaked into the fifth grade science room, and looked around. Aiden looked at the iguana in the tank, blurting out facts about them. I smiled, and walked over to a door. Aiden followed after me, and we ended up in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade wing of the school. We walked into the gym, and sat in the middle of the room.

"Wanna be best friends forever?" Aiden asked. "You gotta pinky promise me."

"Absolutely yes," I said. "I pinky promise."

We hooked our pinkies together, and then hugged. I didn't know it at the time, but I slowly started to love Aiden.

/break\

When I woke up, tears stained my cheeks and the picture was still in my hand. I sat up, looking around. Rubbing my eyes, I got up and walked out of the cabin. I stood on the porch, seeing it was late afternoon. Everyone was getting out their cabins, heading towards open-air pavilion. There was no roof or closed in walls. I absentmindedly wonder how could they eat if it rained or snowed.

Stuffing the picture back into my pocket, I walked off the porch and followed the crowd. I pulled my beanie off my head, stuffing it into the back pocket of my jeans. I ruffled my hair, letting out a yawn. Some people glanced at me. They raised their brows, and started muttering between one another. Naturally, I ignored them and continued walking.

When I entered the pavilion, kids and teens roamed around the tables. At the two head tables, Deamata and Overseer sat. A woman, maybe in her early thirties or late twenties, sat with them. She was a beautiful woman, with curly, dark silky hair and dark brown eyes. Her skin was olive and seemed to glow. Above her head was a silvery-gold halo, and she had large, angel wings that were golden with silver swirls. She chatted with Deamata, motioning her hands as she spoke.

"That's Maria Angelo Della Morte," Natalia said as she came to my side. "She's the mother of one of my migliori amici, my best friends."

"Are those wings real?" I asked, dumbly.

"Yes," the Italian chuckled. "She's an Angel, one of the DW power classes. They're different than real angels. You can't cut off their wings and most are mortal. But, they can become immortal if a god or goddess grants them immortality."

"Nice," I said. "So...where are we sitting?"

Natalia pointed to a table towards the back, where Ally, Alice, Randy, and Nomi sat. Nearby, Carrie and Jake sat at a table with three girls and a boy. I raised my brow, giving her a questioning look.

"I'm gonna sit by my friends," she said. "You can sit by your friends. Besides...you might want to see what's going on with Randy."

Blinking slowly, I walked over to the table and sat next to Ally. Randy had his head resting on the table, with Nomi awkwardly rubbing his back. Alice was laughing her ass off, while Ally was just sitting there, confused.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Randy's becoming a bloody Brit like me," Alice said, pausing in her laughter. "He's speaking with a British accent and using British terms and phrases. The poor chap thinks he's gone absolutely bonkers. I, on the other hand, think it's ace that he's going Brit."

"Bugger off," Randy hissed, his British accent coming on strong. "It's not bloody ace. It's bloody awful."

"Don't be an arse," Alice scolded. "Blimey! It's like you think being a Brit is a bad thing."

"Not blooming likely!" Randy exclaimed. "I think being a Brit is brilliant! It's just...I'm getting these weird thoughts..."

"How weird?" Ally asked.

"Should...should I be looking at boy's asses?" Randy asked. "And why do I get this fluttering feeling in my gut when I see a cute boy?"

"Randall Cunningham," I said. "Are you questioning your sexual orientation?"

"What?" Randy asked. "Bloody hell...I don't like boys...do I?"

"Mate, it's okay!" Alice laughed. "In our world, being homosexual is okay. Well...some blokes hate homosexuality with a burning passion, but most folks are very accepting. Though, I never pinned you to be gay. You thought Heidi was 'spicy' and said Theresa smelled like rainbows!"

"Now that I'm here," Randy muttered. "Girls don't really catch my attention. Boys on the other hand..."

Randy glanced over at Nomi, rubbing his neck. Nomi caught his stare, and the purple-haired teen quickly looked away. I clicked my tongue, watching them with a Cheshire cat-worthy grin.

"Looks like the Reality Check is really taking its affect," I said. "You're becoming British, probably because of your last name is of British origin. And now you're becoming gay!"

"Could things get any worst?" Randy asked.

"Probably," Ally said. "For now, let's just enjoy camp."

"Cheers to that," Randy sighed, raising the goblet that was on the table.

We all picked up the goblets, and did a toast. When I put my lips on the goblet, it hummed and I was suddenly drinking lemonade. I glanced down at the goblet, but quickly shook my head and continued to drink.

So far, camp seemed fine. I was with my friends. I met my favorite cartoon hero. I'm a Dimension Walker and learned that the universe was a lot bigger than I anticipated. And, to top it all off, summer just seemed to not be so boring anymore.

If only I knew there was more to come.

...

Translation(s)

Greek

ηλίθιος = idiot

Phrase(s)

*Off his/her trolley: British slang for "mad" or "out of one's mind"

*Cheesed off: British term for "pissed off"