The Cinder

Diego {14}

Nothing could've prepared for this, as I drove into nothingness that suddenly turned into everything.

One moment we were in the woods and in another, out of nowhere, the surroundings changed like a magician's illusion.

Damn. Rosanne was right, not that I ever doubted her.

Still though, I couldn't fucking believe my eyes. It all seemed too vivid to be reality. Like entering into a dreamy world.

The weather did not change; we didn't enter into a different time zone. Yet, the infinite changes in the scenery were prove enough to indicate that we were in the Brooke.

My heart was pounding rapidly against my ribs, threatening to come out. I was scared, I was nervous. I guess we all were.

There was no big bang or boom, just a blink of the eye and we were into another dimension.

No thunderous explosion. No lack of air or any other side effect of going from dimension to another.

Only, there was no blink of the eye. I couldn't think of lowering my lashes as I had driven into our horrific dystopia.

Was it really that easy? Or was it so simply because we had already been here once?

The dreadful familiar scenery was suddenly right in front of us, around us.

Woods and trees transformed into civilized roads.

It was so un-fucking-believable. Somewhere deep in my mind, I was still hoping that this was all a farce.

An elaborated overextended prank.

Or better yet, a ridiculous out-of-the-blues dream.

The irrational part of me prayed that I'd wake up anytime now, open my eyes and laugh it all off.

And then I'd be fucking relieved that nothing had ever happened.

I haven't been robbed off my control; no one had invaded me of my choices.

Delos was somewhere happy and safe. Not rotting in some bloody enemy dimension.

Most of all, Rosanne was the happy, snarky and innocent girl I had met last year.

She was safe from ever. No mind fucks, no heart breaks, no threat to her virginity and no attacks on her.

No BMHS. No BLU. No Pinnacle Race.

I was actually very tempted to pinch or slap myself in hope that I would wake up.

But I didn't do it for two reasons. A) I didn't want Rosanne and others to think that I was finally losing it, and B) if I didn't wake up, if this all was really real, I might finally lose it.

No one dared to so much as breathe while I kept driving us further in our nightmare.

The one we had survive from. The one we were returning to. The one that we would destroy so that no one else would have to go through it.

"This place, it seems to be so... lifeless, dead." Arianna said in a hushed tone, discomfort oozing through her voice.

I heard Jared's bitter chuckle as he responded to her. "Welcome to The Brooke."

"Nothing welcoming about it."

"Guys," Rosanne interrupted in a grim tone.

"We're not here on some kind of a trip, alright? Don't expect a five-star stay here unless you want to go to BMHS. If you're having any doubts now, I'm sorry but it's too freaking late."