Just a dream

Chapter 3

Fell with a thud

I woke up, again. I expected to be awake, again. I was mistaken, again. This time, I was in a black fog. There was wet grass below my feet, but I knew it wasn't real. It was to soft, too green, to perfect to be real. So was this fog. It swirled beautifully, in a way that Van Gough may have interpreted it. Again, too perfect. I looked up at the sky, and saw a silver moon surrounded by sparkling stars. And yes, you've guessed it. Too perfect.

I made my way through the fog, heading towards what I thought was a light. I stumbled over twigs and branches, but I could not make out many trees above me. I kept walking, it seemed I had been for minutes, but the light never changed position. It stayed exactly the same distance away, at exactly the same visibility. Eventually, I slumped down onto the grass miserably, and a little tear rose from the corner of my eye. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to decide what happened in my dream. And now I was apparently nowhere, where nothing could be reached or found. I had one last hope, though. I pinched myself the hardest I could, but yet again nothing happened. With all the hope drained from me, I found nothing to do but force tears out and rest my head on the moist soil. I jumped as a soft hand rested on my shoulder. I turned slowly to see Lula, looking directly into my eyes.

"Lula!" I found myself grasping her in a tight hug. She was the only sane thing, or as close to sane as I was going to get, that had happened here. She loosely returned the gesture, and I remember that she was my sad beauty; she did not go in for hugs. "Sorry." I said, sniffing.

"Don't be. You did nothing wrong." She did the best she could to put on a smile, but it didn't really work. "I expect you're wondering where you are?"

"Very much so."

"Well, I can't exactly tell you, but you might recognise it, once you've properly entered, that is. Right now, you are stuck between dimensions; I think Loopy pushed you in a little to fast. The vortex couldn't withstand it. But I can get you through to the other side."

"But I want to stay with you and Loopy." Even though I was completely and utterly scared of Loopy, it currently seemed like my best option.

"I'm afraid the end of the vortex leading back to us is now closed for you. Anyway, I'm quite sure that you would enjoy your experiences here more. But I warn you, once you're through, Loopy and I will only be able to pass through for a few moments at a time, so if you need us, call when it's urgent."

I knew I had to go through, but I just wanted to stay with Lula in our own little world. "Lula, I'm scared." She grasped my hand and gave another attempt at smiling, this time a little more convincingly.

"Just tell yourself that things can't get any worse, because really, they can't. Ok?" I nodded in appreciation. Without looking away from me, she brushed her hand in the air, and a swirling azure hole appeared, that looked similar to the pond. "Off you pop." She repeated Loopy's words in a softer, more gently and loving way, and let me step through of my own accord. Before I went through, I gave her one last thankful look, then jumped. I expected to get the same drowning feeling as I had before, with invisible barriers blocking my way. Instead, I fell with a thud.

I slowly stood up, to find myself in exactly the same place as I had just been standing, but with no Lula. Instead, the was someone else running towards me. I stood up began to stumble backwards, not wanting to meet yet another crazy person. I only dared look back at where I was going for split seconds, not being sure whether this person could be able to beam themselves right next to me with some power or another.

"Lula where are you?" I whispered in fear. The words comforted me, for afterwards it felt as if there was an invisible presence beside me, keeping me protected. I wasn't sure whether that was just my imagination, or whether it was actually Lula in the vortex to this place. Maybe she could see me right now, every move that I made, every word that I whispered. Or maybe she couldn't. The prospect of no protection buzzed in the back of my mind as the figure grew closer and closer. They were carrying a lantern, not the same light as before; that was still where it had been. The silhouette came into view, and my pace began to grow faster, but walking backwards did have its disadvantages.

I stumbled on a fallen branch.

I toppled over, my face in the dirt.

I cried, whispering desperately for Lula.

I felt a figure crawl beside me and reach out a hand.

I jumped and screamed as the hand tried to grab me by the arm.

"Shut up! Moggs'll 'ear you!" I looked up silently to see a teenage boy's face looking down at me, annoyed, but also smirking, with no attempt to hide it. His blue eyes shone brilliantly against the light of the lantern, which was also illuminating one side of his soft face. A square jaw held his thin lips, which were twitching slightly as he smirked. His deep brown hair was waxed into a neat side parting, his hair flattened down on each side.

"Come on, then, get up!" he whispered, holding out a hand. I grabbed it and raised myself to a standing position, brushing what dirt I could of my dress. The boy looked down at it too. "Not from around 'ere, I'm guessin'?"

"How do you know that?"

"Well, it's obvious, ain't it? No kid 'ere goes about town in some'ing that ain't uniform, don't they?"

"And what exactly is uniform, may I ask?"

"Well, this, ain't it?" He pointed down to his own uniform. He wore a white shirt covered by a tight fitting navy blue blazer with knee length tails, and tight jeans with navy blue sneakers. He looked half like he went to Eton, half like he was an average teenage boy. Dreams could do funny things to your imagination.

"And for girls?"

"Well, there ain't no tails on the blazers, you 'ave to wear a skirt, and you 'ave to wear knee length socks with Velcro shoes." Great. How come the boys got better uniform? "What? You thinkin' of joinin'?" he asked. Well, it seemed I had nothing better to do.

"Sure."

"Well then, follow me."

"Wait. I don't even know who you are? What's your name?"

"GMD999."

"Your real name."

"Dunno. Don't 'ave one, I'm guessin'."

"What do you mean, 'don't have one'? Everybody has a name."

"Not 'ere they don't." When I looked at him in confusion, he sighed and began to explain further. "You see, kids that come 'ere, come 'ere as babies. Those are the only kind they'll accept. So we don't know our parents, and we're all assigned names. Mine's GMD999."

"That's horrible."

"Nah, not really. You get used to it, from the day you were born. Anyway, if you don't fancy callin' me GMD999, my mates call me Ziggy."

"Ziggy." I repeated, not very impressed.

"Yeah. Cause I used to doodle zigzags anywhere I could when I was little. For fun and that. So they called me Ziggy."

"I'm not calling you Ziggy."

"Well what else are you gonna call me?"

"Well, I, we could, err. Give me a name that you like."

"Don't know any proper names, 'cept Maggie, but that's for girls. You ain't callin' me Maggie."

"No, of course not. Charlie?"

"No."

"Dan?"

"No."

"Patrick?"

"No!"

"Jack?"

"No, no, no! Wait, say it again."

"Jack."

"Jack. Jack. Jack Jack Jack. I like Jack. I'm Jack."

"Finally. Ok then Jack, take me to ... what's the school called?"

"Woking Boarding School."

My mouth gaped open as I saw what could only be my dream's interpretation of my own home.