This Must Be...

This must be... understanding.

Had I finally reached the brink of insanity? Was I going to stop seeing the characters from a make-believe world and start coming to my senses?
Honestly, I had no freakin' clue what was going on but after a few hours of randomly screaming to no one and moving like a break dancer around the floor (... ok, maybe not a break-dancer but more like a toddler having a tantrum) in order to break free of the shackles that had been placed on my wrist and ankles, I escaped and ran as far away from wherever the hell I was. Didn't bother to look back, nor really look forward to where I was going.

My feet just kept moving through the surrounding forest and all of its luscious plants.

------

'Where... where... where do I go?'

I huffed as my breathing began to give out. It had been a day and a half since I left my prison and still couldn't find anyone real, or not for that matter.

Dehydration began to take a huge effect and just as I had reached an open dirt road, I collapsed face first. My body was too spent for it to react to the pain of my nose almost breaking and slowly I began to black out.

'When does this end...'

-------

An alarm woke me from my sleep. My eyes glared at it with intense hate but then I calmed as a sweet familiar smell made its way to me. The aroma gripped my nostrils and lifted me in the air as I became entranced by it.

I opened my eyes as I settled by an opening to a kitchen.

"Buenos días, mi'ja. Como amaneciste esta mañana?" (Good morning, my daughter. How are you doing this morning?) Her pleasant smile as she cooked nearly took my breath away. I leaped to her and hugged her tightly.

"Hay, pero que tienes? Tuviste un mal sueño?" (But what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?) Her eyes looked down at me funny as mine teared up.

"No mami. Nomas... estoy feliz de estar aquí." (No mom. I'm just... happy to be here.) The back of my forearm rubbed against my eyelids, removing the almost-tears and any blur that may have been causing another delusion. (By the way, I speak spanish.)

"Morning dufus!" My big brother rattled my hair under his palm while my surprise turned to an annoyed glare. My mother handed him a plateful of breakfast. He immediately started eating before he even sat down at the dining table. 'Dork.'

"Mi'ja, good morning." The funniest but most spine-chilling feeling went up my spine as I heard the most unique accent in the English words spoken. I looked over to my right as I watched him enter with a strange bright aura.

"'Apa... que haces aquí!?" (Dad... what're you doing here!?) I was so perplexed but then happy to see him. His dark graying hair, his warm honey brown eyes and his signature goofy smile all still the same.

Like my mother, he then gave me a funny questioning look, "Pos... esperando te a ti. Tengo que llevarte a la escuela, no?" (Well... waiting for you. I gotta take you to school, right?) It took me a minute to process but laughed it off and nodded gratefully to him.

"Ok pues, let's go!" (Ok then, ...) He gestured me to follow him out the front door. His warm smile was so... so surreal as the overwhelming brightness of the sun almost engulfed it.

I immediately stopped at the door and was overcome with a strange sensation,

"Y-you... you're not real."