Chapter 1: The Start

One often thinks about how powerful the mind is when put into certain situations. The subconscious capability of the brain always seemed to operate as best as it could to keep its owner sane, regardless of the situation. Sometimes it was through the five stages of grief, other times it could simply be a fight, flight or fright reaction. In this case, however, the brain of an unfortunate victim was granted the mercy of seeing a natural disaster in front of him occur in slow motion.

Ugh, the last day of school sucked.

Bryce couldn't even hear the bell, and not just because he'd wisely put in his earbuds. Without them, all he would have heard would be a cascade of noise that drowned out anything of even the smallest amount of value. The moment that the last day was over, papers and pens were discarded and scattered to the floor, desks were shoved back and anywhere where they wouldn't be in the way for their owner to reach the door, and a proverbial stampede at the risk of minor injury to enjoy the extra few seconds of summer that came with being first out the door was underway. Disgusting. The junior high school student, now a senior, he supposed, sat right where he was, looking out the window as the dull beat of his music continued. It was only for about thirty seconds or so before he turned back to the door of his classroom. The place was empty of any other life, but as much as he didn't care enough to help, Bryce felt a small pang of sympathy for the janitors that were going to have to clean this up.

This wouldn't be the only classroom like this, either. With a sigh, he stood, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. At least he'd managed to avoid dealing with the regulations of getting it cut before the semester ended. Sure, he didn't like it this long either, but having to talk to someone cutting his hair didn't exactly sound appealing. Bryce slung his backpack strap over one of his shoulders, eyes locked forward and slightly downward in a dull stare as he shuffled his way amidst the chaos left by the last day jitters of everyone else. Almost every step he took caused an unheard crunch underfoot, left by discarded papers, pencils, and just about any school supplies a student would need. If Bryce hadn't been one to naturally look down while walking, he was certain that he would have slipped on at least one stray pencil sharpener or book. Cleaning this mess up was going to take hours, if the rest of the school was like this. To think, it was time that could have been used repainting the white walls, starting to slowly dull into a tan color after years of neglect, complete with plenty of scraping marks against the walls from chairs and desks.

The door in the corner of the room was left wide open, probably a bit unhinged from being thrown open. Bryce stepped through, seeing more of the same in the school's hallways: nothing short of an utter mess. His last period was right next to the main exit of the school, but even with lockers open and not fully emptied, complete with more papers and the like strewn about, the hall looked more than empty; it looked deserted. So this was what the apocalypse would look like in due time. At least there were a few spaces that he could step without having to brush something to the side with his shoes.

Best to get out of here before the janitors came by. They knew him well enough to know he wasn't responsible for any of this, but it was unlikely any of them would be in a great mood, either. While walking to the large, wooden doors to the outside world, Bryce considered the last few years of school. Most kids would never find it normal for one of their peers to actively volunteer to stay behind and help clean up, but most days, he was right there, giving the teacher some peace of mind that at least one person was silently appreciating the work they did, even if he couldn't really say it was interesting to him. Bryce did well enough to be a student who had a report card of A's and B's without studying, or really even trying. The humanities consisted of stories that were interesting enough for him to remember, and the maths and sciences came easy to him. Shame that it was all boring. Even all the extracurricular activities, well, the ones that hadn't been cut in recent years, they all felt devoid of any sort of fun. His school wasn't underfunded, but the principle had certain 'ideas' of what a school should place at the forefront of their image. Meaning sports.

School was just a time passer, not much more. With how hard it was to get a proper amount of sleep, though, Bryce could certainly do worse when it came to a daily routine. By now, his peers and teachers had stopped wondering about why he kept to himself and didn't really do all that much. Kids had plenty of other things to do that they cared about more, with people they already cared about more. And teachers? Well, he made good enough grades and didn't get into trouble. There wasn't really much more they could ask of him within reason for their job. What, had they expected some deep-rooted secret for the way he was? Nothing interested him much, simple as that. His attention could be kept fine, but that didn't exactly mean he was invested in anything normal for a boy his age.

A few feet before reaching the door, Bryce reached into his backpack, unzipping the front pouch to grab his sunglasses, placing them over his eyes before shoving the final gate to the outside open. It was just routine at this point. The only difference from normal was that it was the final day of the school year. As if he hadn't known. His locker was cleaned out days ago and he'd only brought the absolute essentials. No way was any teacher planning on covering material on the last day of class. Taking the three steps down to the stone sidewalk, the place still looked absolutely deserted. He blinked, looking around with his eyes, head never turning. Maybe he'd been staring out the window longer than he'd thought. That, or everyone was just that eager to head home...or wherever all of them planned to go. Plenty of kids hadn't even bothered showing up today. Grades and records were kept online, so nobody cared about paper copies. It didn't stop the teachers from trying to convince students to show up, however futile their efforts were.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for a bus. Bryce didn't live far from his school. Plus, being plenty tall already with long legs meant that it wouldn't take more than five to ten minutes to get back to a quiet home. Taking a left, he started to lazily shuffle his way down the sidewalk, silently grateful for the gentle breeze to counter the slight sting of the sun. Heat didn't bother him much though. Since he always wore long pants, and typically some sort of jacket, even during the summer, having days like this didn't even slow him down. By now, the thoughts of avoiding school supplies underfoot had faded into the back of his mind, his backpack the only indication of being a student. Otherwise, he was just some guy, heading home by a pathway he'd walked time and again. He knew where all the cracks were, where all the occasional break in the curb's concrete would be.

The playlist he was listening to finished, looping back to the beginning. Honestly, he probably wouldn't have even noticed if it wasn't for the fact that it was a different composer lightly humming in his ears now. Bryce gave a sigh, as if he'd been holding in a response to someone's stupid comment and ultimately decided to let it go. It took some of the pressure off of him, if only for a moment. Best to just not think about it. For someone who didn't have any additional, self-imposed responsibilities, he felt that weight pretty often.

Soon enough, he was home, pulling out his house key and inserting it into the old, dark green door. It accepted the offering with minimal resistance, turning counterclockwise as a small 'pop' was heard. Removing the key, Bryce turned the knob, shoving the door open with little more than a press of his shoulder. Real exciting stuff here: nobody was around, as expected. Out working, or with friends, or out of town, something. At least that meant quiet, if nothing else. If they had been here, he'd have known in an instant. But no, no televisions on, no phone calls. Bryce locked the door behind him, heading right for his room so that he could kick off his shoes, drop his backpack by the door and flop on the bed. Man, were those desks uncomfortable, especially compared to his. He closed his eyes.

Sleep, however, wouldn't come. Bryce sighed. Not surprising. His diet was fine, he exercised enough that he wasn't just lethargic, everything that he was supposed to do in order to make his body realize it needed sleep. Well, just laying here wouldn't do any good. He knew that all too well after several years of this. His blue eyes opened, gazing up at the ceiling, the white pattern seemingly sinking into itself the longer and longer he stared. Eventually, he sat up, standing up just long enough to sit in his chair, turning his computer on.

Bryce swore, internally.

"Another long night. Great."

Being right was overrated, especially when it was something like this. As Bryce filled the time with surfing the internet, some light gaming, and a bit of reading. One hour turned into two; two hours into four. Spinning around in his chair, Bryce stood up, heading out to the kitchen to make dinner for one. It gave him time to stretch and eliminate the slightly growing growl in his stomach. He even went so far as to check the mail, not that he was expecting anything other than junk mail. Yep, being right was definitely overrated. At least the dessert he'd kept hidden in the very back of the fridge had somehow survived the day without being devoured by someone else. His meal finished and the kitchen clean, he walked back to his room. Still not tired...well, that meant back to the office chair for a bit more time on the internet. Time continued to pass. Before he knew it, Bryce looked down at the clock in the corner of his computer screen.

1:36am.

Awesome, and Bryce still felt the same as when he'd gotten home. Nobody had come through the house, so his parents were both out of town, and with no siblings, he'd have the place to himself.

"Ugh, screw it." He groaned, standing up and sliding his shoes back on. Time for a walk.

Sometimes it would help him get a little drowsy. Now that it was dark outside and a bit cooler, a walk sounded bearable, especially now that his backpack was no longer needed. Thankfully his neighborhood was a relatively safe place, even if there was a house a few streets down that was rented out by a few college kids that would definitely be partying. Their semester ended today, too, and after Bryce opened the front door, his suspicions were confirmed by the low thumping of the bass drowning out any sounds of nature that could possibly be nearby his house.

Yep, the cops were definitely going to be called, if they hadn't been already. Bryce started going the other way without a second thought. It was nice to hear the natural sounds that were more prominent at night, and that noise pollution wasn't going to help. The thumping slowly grew more and more quiet, replaced by the soft scuffing of his shoes as they scraped against the ground and the soft chirping of crickets tucked away inside the grass and bushes. There wasn't much out in this direction, other than farmland. After getting past a few blocks of suburban housing, the buildings and trees gave way to a cotton field. Outside of the drip irrigation systems and their large, thin arches of metal used to water the plants, nothing blocked the view in the remaining three directions for several miles.

It was rather nice, actually. The land was flat, with nothing growing too tall. Anyone could see pretty far out and look up to see all the bright stars. He wasn't quite sure why, but Bryce stopped this time, standing just off the street, between the road and the small ditch that led out into the field. Many of the constellations were clear, and a plane slowly drifted across the sky, flashing a red light down at the ground below.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. There was a white light that was coming into view as well, falling down towards earth. A shooting star? He would have thought so before seeing the trajectory of it shift suddenly. Shooting stars didn't zig-zag, nor did any sort of crashing plane. Had he actually fallen asleep at his desk? That would explain something like this...whatever it was. The light got brighter and brighter as it rocketed down to earth. It was coming right towards the field, too. Part of his mind told him to get the heck out of there, but Bryce remained fixed to the spot. Dangerous or not, it was at least interesting.

Not until that bright ball was only a few feet from making contact with the ground did Bryce squint his eyes shut. He expected a large crash, but it never came. A strong breeze came from the light, ruffling his hair and clothes. Although the teenager never heard any explosion, the sensations he could feel-the breeze against him, and the light ruffling of grass-felt very, very real. Either this was a very vivid dream, or...nah, that must have been it.

His eyes opened just in time for the light in front of him to fade away. In its place, it plopped some sort of object a few feet from the sky onto the ground in an unceremonious fashion. Whatever it was, it didn't move, but from the small peek of light that had shown off the thing's shape, it could be something alive. The ground gave off a small poof of dirt; something had definitely landed there. And was now resting there, unmoving. With a quick look around to see if the coast was clear, Bryce gave himself a few moments to see if it would wake. Even in the darkness, it looked to be breathing, softly. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward, still not convinced that he wasn't asleep. Down past the ditch, then back up. What he saw was enough to make him pause, taking in the scene in full.

"No way…"

Part of being an insomniac meant finding different ways to pass the time. As such, Bryce was no stranger to videogames. He hadn't just played series, he'd completed them in full. Why not, if he couldn't get sleep? But seeing this...the black legs, blue thighs, yellow torso, and a jackal like face. It definitely was one, and he was definitely asleep. He wouldn't be seeing one of these in real life. They didn't exist, obviously.

Honestly, though...letting this dream play out would be better than the alternative of waking up. Maybe he was just thinking poorly because he was asleep, or lack of sleep, but right now, this creature was still alive, its chest rising and falling. Bryce may not care much for the human race, but when it came to what would happen to this one, it'd either be abandoned and try to fend for itself, or someone would snatch it up before it had a chance to get away, and at that point...it'd be as good as dead, really. Dissected on some scientist's table, ugh.

Every creature deserves a chance, right?

"This is such a bad idea." He mumbled to himself.

It wouldn't be crazy to expect a simple touch waking it up, and then it would attack, and then he'd wake up. Still, with this particular creature, it might actually understand that Bryce wasn't trying to kidnap it. He'd better hope for the best. Bryce leaned forward, a few of his fingertips brushing against the creature's right arm. Dreamland or not, it was real in the scene playing out in front of his eyes, and thankfully, still asleep after he'd touched it. Ugh, if this thing ended up giving him some sort of sickness...well, that would be the irony expected of the world, wouldn't it?

Screw it. Bryce went for it, sliding his hands underneath the creature's midsection, lifting it slowly off the ground. Strange, he was expecting it to be much heavier than this. It would definitely be manageable. As he stood back up to full height, Bryce looked around. Nothing seemed to be any different. The very, very faint sound of a party could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, this felt much, much more real. Bryce was standing on the edge of a field with an alien creature in his arms, asleep. Now would be a good time to get out of here. If the police were on their way to deal with those guys, running into them would get him in much more trouble. Bryce walked back onto the road. He could think about this being real or fictional later, because standing around was a bad idea, either way. He tried keeping the creature as close to his frame as he could, just in case, but it was rather tall. Taller than he expected, actually. Maybe all that information about them was wrong?

Everything seemed to keep him that little bit more on edge. It reminded him of his first time, walking outside in the early morning. That night, he'd seen a vehicle on occasion. Bryce had wondered what the person in the car might think. A few times after that, though, he'd long since stopped worrying about it. The police that came by here actually did know him, too. If anything, they appreciated the calls on the college house. Something had to pay their bills, too. Even though he wasn't doing anything wrong right now, Bryce was still thankful to see his house as he turned and walked up the sidewalk, speeding up his pace before he stopped at the door.

Right, he always locked it. The creature in his arms wasn't so heavy he couldn't manage holding it with one hand for a few moments, but Bryce wasn't about to risk dropping it. That would assuredly wake it up, and it would not be happy. So, Bryce placed it gently on the porch before fishing the keys out of his pocket and unlocking the door.

"Alright, here we go…"

Yet again, Bryce lifted the creature up, walking inside and using his foot to pull the door closed. Silently thankful for his solitary human presence, he walked straight to his room, the door still ajar, complete with a lone feline looking over at him with its piercing teal eyes.

"Sorry Shadow, you're gonna have to move."

Shadow hardly had to be convinced, hopping off the bed and retreating out of the room, giving the creature in Bryce's arms a side eye during her exit. He felt a little bad for the feline, but this would be the best place to keep it until it woke up. Or he woke up. Whichever came first.

By now, though, he was convinced. He wasn't dreaming. This creature was actually here, in his house. He'd brought it here.

He placed it carefully onto his bed, its head resting on the pillow before he left to lock the front door again and grab some water. Returning, he looked the creature over again as he sat down in his computer chair. In hopes of rest being the sole key in the road to recovery, Bryce turned, booting up his computer.

It looked like some research was in order, because beyond the obvious, something wasn't lining up. Despite the early hours of the morning, Bryce spent the next few hours cleaning the dirt off the creature as best and modestly as he could, with bouts of research in between. All he could do now was hope it would be enough for it to wake up and hope that it wouldn't kill him.

At least it had a pulse, and was slowly starting to get the proper warmth of a living, breathing entity. Soon enough, while his back was turned, Bryce heard the bed creak ever so slightly.

Well, here goes nothing… He gulped, turning around to watch the creature awaken…

Author's Notes: As I mentioned in the preface, I'm going to be leaving some 'behind the scenes' information at the end of each chapter about this story. So, it's only fair I begin at the beginning. When I said Fantasy's Reality was a dream of mine, that is a literal statement. The entire first arc of this story was a dream that I had overnight. It did occur for a reason, but we'll talk about that in another chapter.

Comments are always appreciated, and remember that everyone you meet has their own story. -Delta