After the excitement of the last few chapters, it's time for a breather.

Interval 1: School & Friends

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep! My eyes snapped open at the sound and I looked at my alarm clock. 7:00 am! I quickly slapped the off button, silencing its cry.

As I sat up and stretched, I looked around, taking in the familiar sights of my bedroom. There was my wardrobe, my computer, my computer chair, and my desk where I did my homework.

Rubbing my eyes, I climbed out of bed. "That was a really weird dream," I muttered to myself. "I wish I could remember it…"

Now I know what you're thinking: how could I be telling this story if I kept forgetting my dreams? Well, there is a good reason for that, but I won't get into it just yet, mainly because it might spoil the rest of the tale.

Still half-asleep, I was awoken by a loud bark. "Whoa!" I yelped before looking down. At my feet sat my beloved cocker spaniel, Steve. Yeah, that's right; I actually have a pet named Steve.

"Hello, Steve!" I said, kneeling down and rubbing his ears. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good little doggo?"

"Taryn, come for breakfast!"

Hearing my mom's call, I got up again. "Okay, I just need to get dressed first!"

"Well, hurry up, you don't want to be late for school!"

That's right, today's Monday. Normally, I would be excited to go and see my friends again. But something was different today. I felt somewhat weary, as if I'd been in a battle or two.

Nevertheless, I got dressed and went down to breakfast, hoping the day would get better…

I sat in the cafeteria at lunchtime, deep in thought. The morning had passed in such a blur that it was difficult to remember some of it. I knew that we had German, which was like my favorite class right now, but for some reason, I had trouble focusing on my lesson. After that, I don't know what else I did today.

"Hey, Taryn, is this seat taken?"

I looked up to see my best friend waiting by the table, tray in hand. "Oh, hey, Sarah. No, you can sit down."

With a smile, Sarah sat down next to me, her long red hair brushing the side of my face. Sarah and I had been friends since we came to high school. We'd bonded over a mutual love of lacrosse and Markiplier videos; in fact, she was the one who introduced me to Jacksepticeye's content. Before, I'd only seen Jack in Mark's Prop Hunt videos, but once I'd learned that he'd played Happy Wheels and Turbo Dismount, I subscribed to him instantly.

Sarah took a mouthful of macaroni then turned to me. "What's been going on, T? You looked kind of out of it today. You didn't even wave to me when I said hello."

"Yeah, sorry about that," I sighed. "I had a weird dream last night…"

"Really?" Sarah frowned. "Don't tell me you watched Mark play a horror game before bed. I keep warning you not to."

"No, nothing like that. It's just…" I sighed again and shook my head. "I don't know how to describe it, but it's all I've been thinking about."

With nothing more to say, I took another bite out of my sandwich. Mom always packed my lunch because she'd read some crappy internet rumor about cafeteria food and didn't want me getting sick. I never complained about it; she made the best PB and J sandwiches ever and she always gave me a Hersey's Kiss on Mondays to remind me that she loved me even when I'm at school.

While I was eating, I heard footsteps coming, but I didn't look up. Then Sarah spoke to me. "Well, I know someone who can take your mind off your dream."

"Who's that?" I mumbled with my mouth full.

And that was when a voice I hadn't heard in months spoke up. "Hey girls, you got room for one more?"

I quickly swallowed and turned round in surprise, staring into bright blue eyes under a mop of blond hair. "Connor?!"

"Hi Taryn, it's been a long time," Connor beamed, placing his tray next to Sarah. Connor was another good friend of mine since grade school. He too shared my love for Markiplier after I let him watch his Highlight videos. But two years ago, his family had to move to the UK, meaning he had to leave. Sometimes, his dad would come over on a business trip for a couple of weeks, so Connor was able to visit my school and get to know Sarah. But I hadn't heard any news of his coming today.

Jumping from my seat, I grabbed Connor in a bear hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad's going to a few conferences in New York, Denver, and LA," Connor explained. "They're gonna take a week each to get through, so he decided to let us come back for two months."

"That's so cool!" I said excitedly.

For the rest of lunch, we chatted for a while, catching up on our activities. When the bell rang, Connor left with Sarah to do their classes.

At the end of the day, we met up outside the school and started our walk into town.

"So, Sarah's telling me that you had a dream last night," Connor said. "Can you remember anything from it?"

My smile from earlier faded as the older topic resurfaced. "I honestly have no idea, and it's really pissing me off."

"Why?" Sarah asked. "I mean, isn't that what usually happens with dreams?"

"I know, but I feel like something important happened in that dream. All I can recall was that it got really dark at one point then there was this burst of light. And that's it."

Connor paused in his steps and turned to me. "You know, Taryn, I'm no psychiatrist or anything, but I read a few things about dreams like this. Darkness usually represents a fear of the unknown, and trying to find your way out can make you experience feelings of danger. And seeing a bright light indicates a ray of hope, guiding you through those dark times. Maybe you're facing some deep and grim feelings in your heart and you need someone or something good to lead you."

Looking back on it now, Connor wasn't entirely wrong in his interpretation. But if he'd known what I would face in the next few days, he would have become a psychic. But again, spoilers.

"I guess that makes sense," I decided.

"Come on, Taryn, there's no need to be mopey," Connor smiled. "I have just the cure for that sourpuss face: a nice heaping scoop of Ben and Jerry's!"

Hearing this, I perked up immediately. "Yeah! Choc-chip cookie dough, here I come!"

"Make mine a non-dairy," Sarah said. "I'm lactose intolerant, remember?"

So all in all, while my mind was still distracted by my dream, at least this Monday ended on a good note…

Nightfall saw me back at home, in front of my computer, watching another Markiplier playlist. Mondays were usually when he posted a Reading Your Comments video, but nothing came out from him today, so instead, I rewatched all the episodes of Five Nights at Freddy's. By the time I'd completed the fourth game, it was close to 11 at night.

As I switched off my computer, I looked over at my homework on the desk. "Damn it, I forgot to sort these out." I was then hit by a bad case of the yawns. "Oh well, I'll have to do it tomorrow."

I carefully climbed into bed, trying not to disturb Steve who was lying on the duvet. "Good night, Steve, my good little pup."

With a final yawn, I cuddled up in my blankets, hoping for a peaceful sleep…

And so we've reached the end of the first interval. I thought I'd create a bit of a story around the main character's diary entries to add a little context.