The Journey [On hold]

Chapter 7- Please wake up

I don't think I've mentioned yet how much I hate the outdoors. Seriously, nature stank. Literally and figuratively.

I was currently sitting on a pile of dead leaves, wishing I could be anywhere else. I'd take school over this, and that was saying something. Well, not really, considering how pretty much everyone liked me.

Though school also brought out my envious side. Seeing all those people getting better marks than me, being prettier than me, and just being generally, truly nice.

Trying to distract myself, I glanced at Kace, who was curled up on the ground. He was like one of those annoying dogs- small and always yapping. The thought that I was at least traveling with someone nice, though, filled me with determination.

I can just imagine Kayla yelling something about old video game references right now.

I wonder how she was doing. Sleeping, probably. Unless there were different time zones in the simulation. She could be getting chased by lions in a rainforest for all I knew, while I just sat here.

She'd probably have that prick Danielle there to help her though. I'd never actually told her why I didn't like Danielle- She probably assumed I was being a jealous idiot.

I wish I could tell her how much more there was to it than that... Though I was a little jealous how close they were. They'd been friends for ages, but I was her sister- Yet there were times I didn't really feel like it.

Kace mumbled something in his sleep as I shifted in my spot and looked around the woods. I got more and more tense as I tried to see into the shadows, and when the light breeze rustled a few leaves I almost peed my pants.

That would be embarrassing to explain to Kace in the morning.

I slipped into sleep a long time later, finally tired after so long of just sitting and staring into darkness. When I opened my eyes, I was stunned by the brightness.

Hadn't I fallen asleep, like, a second ago? Surely I wasn't awake already- Also, this definitely wasn't where I'd fallen asleep.

Instead of a forest, I was in a desert. Well, I'd never actually been in a desert, but this certainly fit the geography class description. A light wind, a hilly landscape, some cacti here and there... Oh, and of course the sand everywhere.

Why was I dreaming about a desert? Was I going crazy from lack of a decent meal? I mean, we'd had raspberries at least... Maybe theyd been poisoned. Maybe they caused me to die or something. Was this, like, heaven after a sandstorm? Or maybe hell on a good day? Did heaven have sandstorms?

I'm just gonna guess this is a weird dream and leave it there.

I'd never actually had a dream this... Realistic, though. I could even feel the heat of the sun beating down on me.

I took a step forward, wondering if this would turn into an even weirder dream like the kind Kayla had where a giant Zapdos swooped out of nowhere. No giant birds from video game appeared, so I figured I was safe.

I was wrong.

Apparently, I should have been watching my feet instead of the sky. I tumbled down the hill, trying my best to stop myself, but the sand slipped through my
fingers.

I couldn't see where I was falling, but the terrifyingly loud whirlwind sound I heard was enough to assure me that I wasn't safe. I hit what must've been the bottom of the hill at high speed, and immediately felt the sand sucking me in. What the poop was this?!

Sand, duh, I knew that much. But what kind of sand would suck me in? And how was I going to get out of this?

I knew it was just a dream, but the situation felt dire and lot more death-like then a dream should.

"Hey, Ann!" Someone called from the top of the hill I'd fallen down, seemingly not worried that I was fighting and pulling at the sand to try and stay alive. Kayla?

"I'm glad to see someone's decided to get rid of you. You were a horrible excuse for a sister." Somehow, even so far away, her once kind and now scornful voice sounded like it was right next to me. To hear her say that brought tears to my eyes, making me forget my situation for just a moment.

"Kayla! Please help me!" I let out a strangled yell as I was pulled in further. The sand was up to my stomach by now.

"Sorry, Ann. You just weren't good enough." She said. I felt like I could see her smirk from here as my arms started to go limp. "Goodbye, sister."

I gave up, letting myself get sucked in farther. This didn't seem like a dream anymore. Kayla was right, whether this Kayla was a fragment of my imagination or not- I was a horrible excuse for a sister.

"Ann!" Oh great, is Kace here too? I'd recognize that annoying voice anywhere. What's he gonna mock me about as I die?

"Ann, wake up!" He yelled. Wake up? No, I think I'll just die as I wallow in self pity.

"Ann, please!" The sand had reached my shoulders.

"Ann, c'mon! I need your help!" Up to my neck.

"Ann... I'm scared." That hit me like a knife to the heart. It reminded me of the time, when we were little, that Kayla had come to my room, tears in her eyes as she clutched her blanket. "Ann... I'm scared."

I jolted awake on the ground, staring at Kace's pleading expression. "What's wrong?" I said, like an echo of that night quite a few years ago.

"I don't know what happened, I was just sleeping... But, well, look around."

I sat up, my limbs tired as if the dream had been as real as it felt. A quick glance around brought a whole lot of fear rushing back.

We were in a desert.

A/N- A lil short, sorry. Like an evil person, I left yet another cliffhanger instead of resolving the first one =3