I pressed my fingers against my forehead as my thoughts raced. What the heck is going on! A VIDEO GAME?! It's not possible!

Taking deep breaths, I stood up and walked over to the sink. I turned the water on cold and stuck my face under the faucet. I let the freezing liquid roll down my cheeks and wake up my senses. I pulled back, grabbed the towel on the counter and dabbed my face. I jumped when I heard the knock on the door and my sister's voice coming from the other side.

"Alice? Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Dia." I eased open the door to find her standing directly on the other side, her eyes glistening with worry, "I just needed a bathroom break."

"Okay then." She gave me a smile, but her eyes stayed the same.

"Diana? Is it ok if I go to bed early tonight?" She looked at me in surprise, and I gave her a smile that said "It's all good, nothing weird here!"

Dia scanned my face and I prayed that she couldn't read minds.

"Well, if you're sure…" she stepped back so I could get to my room at the end of the hall, "But you won't be getting any dinner, alright?"

"Yeah, okay." I shot her a reassuring glance over my shoulder as I trudged into my room, gently shutting the door behind me.

Once inside, I slumped against the wall and stared forward, my mind in a jumble. I have to find out what happened was the one clear thought in my mind. I took the "Do not disturb" sign off the rack beside the door and hung it on the doorknob, knowing that my siblings took privacy seriously, unlike everything else. I took another deep breath, Time to get to work.

I walked over to my desk and sat down in the rolling chair my mother had painted pink, assuming that I would like the color. Which I didn't. I pushed the button on the screen of my computer and it lit up. I pulled up the search engine and typed in Pokémon: Arceus. A few pictures popped up with a "ping!" and I moved my mouse over an image. It enlarged to show a giant white horse thing with a gold hula-hoop. Yup, Arceus.

Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through my shoulder and I grimaced. I bit down on my tongue to keep from crying out. I yanked up my shirt sleeve to find my scar bright red and sending pulses of pain down my entire arm. I carefully touched with the tips of my fingers, but pulled away quickly as another jolt made me bite down so hard on my tongue I could taste blood.

I gripped my shoulder bone, careful not to touch the scar, and took shaky breaths. I closed my eyes and saw stars dancing in the darkness. Suddenly, a beeping noise came from my desk and I cracked open one eye. My entire screen was fizzing out with different flashes of color and pictures. Then the whole thing went dark.

I straightened in my chair and stared at the monitor as it blinked back on. The images of the Arceus were gone and were now replaced with a single sentence:

NOT YET ALICE.

I felt my stomach do a flip as I stared at the words. Slowly, I put out my hand and touched the computer; it was warm from overloading. My head felt like it had just been in a hydraulic press and finally released. My scar was not longer red, but the shock waves of burning made me feel like puking on my carpet.

"Ugh" I switched off the computer and stumbled over to the bed, face planting into the pillow. I turned over, careful of my shoulder, and closed my eyes. I felt like someone had taken my stomach and twisted it into confused knots. I still had no idea what was happening or why it was happening, even after attempting to find answers. I also had no idea why the computer had used improper grammar; did it mean "Not yet, Alice", or "Not, yet Alice"? I guess I'll find out in the morning…

I opened my eyes to find myself in a completely black environment, only able to see my hands in front of me. I looked around, surprised to find my vision blurring with every shake of my head. I moved my arms and legs, only to find it felt like wading through molasses.

Suddenly, a light flashed across from me and I felt the darkness vibrate around me. I looked ahead and saw a massive, white, blurred shadow thundering towards me. It let out an Earth-shaking cry, and I turned to run. The stuck-in-syrup feeling was making it hard to run, and I could feel the breath of the beast on the back of my neck.

My breathing was fast and shaky as I tried to get as far as possible from the white shadow. I was starting to make some distance between me and the creature, when an invisible wall knocked the air from my lungs. Panting, I turned to face the huge shadow. It raced to me, giving another loud cry.

I stood leaning against the wall, suddenly unable to move at all. I felt a burning sensation from my shoulder, and looked to find that my shirt had lit on fire. I squeezed my eyes shut tight; the pain was white hot and it seemed to me like the Sun was perched there.

Another cry made me open my eyes wide; the creature was almost on top of me. It got closer and closer and I screamed, so loud it almost blocked out the words being whispered in my ear by and unseen force:

YOUR TIME HAS COME, DAUGHTER OF ARCEUS.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS.

I clenched my fists and closed my eyes as the Arceus reared to crush me.

I shot up, arms flailing and heart hammering against my chest. A cold sweat sent chills down my spine. I yanked up my sleeve and glared at the circle on the peak of my arm. It wasn't red, and there was no searing heat. My breathing slowed and I lay back down, trying to calm myself.

I jumped when my alarm clock went off beside me. I flung the covers off my legs and scrambled to stop the beeping. I picked it up and stared at the clock face; it was 6:50, time to get up for school.

I flicked the light switch, and the lamp was so bright it made me squint. I shuffled over to my dresser and pulled out a set of clean clothes. Note to self, I thought as I slipped on a pair of jeans; take a shower tonight, a long one. You really need it.

I trudged out into the kitchen, my thoughts and vision still fuzzy with sleep. I eased myself into a chair and Diana shoved a plate of cinnamon toast in my direction. I took a sleepy bite while she and Pat argued over whatever they disagreed on this morning. Welp, I thought, another day, another detention.