I startled awake, gasping and choking, clawing at my throat. I could feel tears stinging my eyes as I greedily gulped down lungfuls of air, the cold soothing the burning in my throat.
Suddenly, I felt too hot, and I sat up, throwing the covers off of me. My hair and clothes were drenched in sweat, clinging to me and making me uncomfortable. A cold gust washed over me, making me shiver as I slowly calmed down from my nightmare.
No, not nightmare.
Whatever that was, it had been real.
I shuddered once more before sighing and looking around, ready to get up and shower.
Except, this wasn't my room.
I blinked. Once, twice.
This still wasn't my room.
Or my bed.
The room looked something out of a catalogue. The main theme was dark purple with white accents and decorations. There was a white nightstand besides the queen sized bed I sat in with a desk on the opposite side of the room. There was even a velvet chaise lounge at the foot of the bed.
But it all paled in comparison to the main feature in the room.
The glass wall that overlooked the forest.
I got up and walked towards it, in awe.
The room was clearly on the ground floor as the trees towered way above my view, the evergreen pines seemingly reaching high and touching the overcast sky. They had a light dusting of white, making it look like something out of a magical wonderland. I could even see a stream on one side and what looked to be a walking trail too.
Where the hell was I?
This was nothing like the urban city I was used to.
For a split second, I wondered if I was dreaming, if I had somehow conjured up some strange reality and was just hallucinating, but I was suddenly filled with an odd sense of certainty that this was very much real.
I stepped back from the glass and walked towards the first door.
It was a walk in closet with racks on either side. It was only partially filled, with the few clothes that I actually owned taking up not even half of the rack.
The second door besides it led to an en suite bathroom. The space was small but still impressive. It had a shower cubicle in one corner with a toilet and basin nestled besides it into the other corner.
I grimaced as I caught my reflection in the mirror. Quickly shutting the door, I continued my investigation.
I headed back towards the nightstand where I spotted my phone. Grabbing it, I squinted at the screen, realising it was still early.
9:06 AM
Sunday 23rd January
My eyes widened at the date as I did I double take at my phone. The 23rd January? That was impossible. It was June last I checked.
I paused, squinting again at my screen.
I unlocked my phone and tapped on the calendar icon, only for it to confirm the date on my lock screen. My confusion slowly morphed into shock as I saw the number at the top.
2005.
That can't be right.
Was my phone broken?
I tried everything, from refreshing the app, to googling the date, to switching my phone on and off several times, yet with each try, it only became glaringly obvious that I was in denial.
Somehow it was 2005.
I had managed to travel seventeen years into the past.
I mean, while I didn't explicitly believe in time travel, I had never dismissed it either.
But this was absurd. I was most definitely not a time traveler.
I shook off my distracted thoughts.
Okay, so I knew when I was, but now I needed to find out where I was.
I headed over to my location services and turned them on, before finding my current location.
If finding out I had somehow needed up in 2005 was shocking, then finding out where exactly I was had knocked the wind out of me.
Forks, Washington State, USA.
Internally, I was panicking.
I didn't have a good feeling about this at all.
2005, Forks. That could only mean one thing.
Or could it?
I took a much needed deep breath and calmed down the nauseating panic that had my stomach churning uncomfortably.
I wasn't going to jump to conclusions yet.
I needed to focus on the more important things first.
Like who's house was this? Where was my family? Was I alone here?
I placed my phone back down on the nightstand, making my way to the only other door I hadn't tried yet. It led to an empty corridor, filled with photos and portraits of people I didn't know. I slowly followed the sounds until I ended up in a large living space.
The place was decorated with warm colours and mismatched pieces. The clutter and slightly worn furniture only added to the cosy air of the place, giving it a nice homey feel. The family portrait that stared down at me however, quickly reminded me that this place was far from home.
"You're up early," I jumped a little, turning to face the woman that had startled me.
She was white, roughly middle aged, with a shock of ginger curls that bounced around her head. She had a spatter of freckles and wide green eyes that watched me carefully.
"You look ill, are you okay?" She continued, her thin brows drawn together.
"Where am I?" I asked, finally finding my voice. I cleared my throat and tried to calm myself once again, to quell the rising uneasiness in my gut. The woman gave me a confused look, her painted lips twisting downwards into a frown.
"You're in Forks, Amani are you okay?" I brushed off her question by asking another.
"What date is it?"
"It's Sunday the 23rd," she answered, stepping closer.
"What month?" I must have sounded absolutely crazy asking that, but at that moment all I cared about was getting confirmation that I was where I thought I was.
"January...2005," she added once she saw my expression. "Amani, are you sure you're okay? Should I take you to the doctor?"
"No, I'm fine," I smiled weakly.
Usually I was much more composed than this, but I had to admit this was a unique situation, so I could excuse my behaviour.
"Maybe you shouldn't go to school tomorrow. You just got here yesterday, you need more time to settle," She placed her hand on my shoulder and I was hit with a waft of her spicy perfume.
It was the same perfume my mum used to wear.
The realisation had a knot form in my throat while my eyes stung with tears. Where the hell was I and where was my family.
"No, I promise I'm okay. I'm just jet lagged," I choked out, trying to keep my thoughts from spiralling.
It was obvious she didn't believe me with the way she pinned me down with her gaze. She grabbed my hands and I struggled to maintain eye contact.
"What's really wrong?" Her soft touch, her concerned eyes, her caring tone, and that stupid perfume, they all made me cave in and the dam burst.
"I had a nightmare. I just want my family," I admitted, sniffling while fat tears rolled down my face.
She didn't say anything, but pulled me into her arms, hugging me tightly. For a split second, I felt bad that I was dampening her shirt with my tears, but it quickly disappeared as she began murmuring sweet nothings into my hair, triggering a fresh set of tears which were accompanied by uncensored sobs.
I just cried it all out, until I had nothing left.
Into the shoulder of a stranger.
You know, standard Sunday stuff.
When she pulled back slightly did I realise we had sat down on the floor. I was hiccuping and exhausted, taking a tissue gratefully and wiping away the moisture from my face. Over her shoulder I noticed a young girl lingering at the top of the stairs, watching me.
"Amani, I have no idea how hard it is to lose your family and be taken away from your life, but I am always here for you. We might not know each other, but we are family now," She stated.
I nodded mutely.
"How about we get to know each other better over breakfast. Get more comfortable with each other," she suggested, having followed my gaze to the stairs.
Once again, I nodded mutely.
"You get dressed and I'll start breakfast," She gave me a reassuring smile as I got up and padded back to my bedroom.
The uneasiness in my stomach had not settled and my mind still raced with questions. I could only hope I'd figure out what happened soon.
