Chapter 5

"Are you new here?" he asks me. "Is it that obvious?" I awkwardly smile. His lips lift into a small smile, "Yes," I sigh and look around again. "Do you know where the room that has the walk-in closet and big T.V is? It also has a big bathroom and bed in the middle of the room-" I cut myself off. "Did it sound like I was gloating? I didn't mean to. I was trying to give you a description since I'm really lost and don't want to eat in the cafeteria."

The man chuckles and waves off my concerns. "It sounded like it but I knew what you meant. Follow me," he turns and heads straight. I hesitantly follow him. I didn't know this man and he could easily overpower me if he wanted to but what other choice did I have? If I wandered around aimlessly, the halls would switch again and I would be trying to figure my way around this place forever.

"I won't bite," he assures me. I give him my best smile but the truth is that this guy was a creature too. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" I proceed with caution. "You didn't even ask my name first," I blush in embarrassment. "Oh my god, I am so sorry. What is your name?"

He gives me an angelic smile and says, "Lucas," I shield my eyes from the sparkle and shine of his smile. "Wow, umm, I'm Aven," my introduction wasn't nearly as beautiful but it would have to do. "That is a very beautiful name," a playful smirk finds itself on my lips. "Is that a compliment or are you flirting with me?"

"Try and guess," he responds. I smile at his response. "You're no fun," I pout. "Dragons don't typically have the reputation of being fun," I chuckle but end up choking on it. "I'm sorry. A what? Like a fire-breathing dragon? With wings and scales?" I gawk. I know gawking was unladylike and something you should avoid doing, but this man just told me he is a freaking dragon!

"Yes, something like that. What are you?" What did he mean by 'something like that?' "I'm a human," he gives me a questioning look. "You entered the barrier so you carry magic within you," Right, that thing. "Until proven otherwise, that is what I am. I don't know anything about your world or the creatures in it. I didn't know you guys existed until today," I shake my head in distress.

He gives me a sympathetic look. "This must be really hard on you. If it helps any, I can give you a crash course on the basics after classes end now that I know where you stay,"

"That would be great," I don't want to be completely ignorant. I can also rule out some species from this breakdown. I want to figure out what I am A.S.A.P. We walk the rest of the way in silence. More turns that I won't remember later, we finally reach the double doors of my room. "Thank you for walking me here,"

"My pleasure," I open the door to walk in but remember something. "Hey, do you know who-" I turn around to ask him but slam into his...chest? Was he always this close? "Wow, you were way closer than I thought," I step back to pull away from him, but his arms enclose my torso. He says something before he lets me go. "I didn't get that," I look into his yellow eyes and I swear they turned into slits for a moment. They transformed into reptilian eyes but only for a second.

"I didn't say anything," His voice is gruffer than it was before. "Right," I say skeptically and don't address the reptile eyes. He did tell me he was a dragon. "Back to my question, do you know who stayed in this room?" I wasn't going to ask Derek because it felt too personal and he avoids me enough as is.

"No, I don't know who stayed here," somehow I knew he was lying. Who was in this room? Did something happen to them? If, so, why am I in here? As if he could read my thoughts, Lucas says, "Don't worry, you're safe," he mumbles something else under his breath that I don't catch. I don't bother asking him what he said. I'm sure he would avoid it like last time. "It's like you read my mind...you can't actually do that, right?" I ask to make sure.

He shakes his head. "Even if I could, it is forbidden to access another person's thoughts unless given permission. Not to mention it takes a lot of strength to get past the mental barrier. Species like dragons don't have that kind of power," that was good to know. I didn't need people reading my mind as I passed them down the halls.

"Right, okay, well thank you, and I will see you...later?" I ask. He nods so I close the door. I put my hand on my chest and feel my heart beating rapidly. I didn't realize I was that nervous. I sit on my bed and eat my food. I search for the remote to the T.V. I find it beside the bed and turn it on. I was curious to see what they had. Would their romcoms include real fishtails and vampire fangs? Would that be their normal?

I turn on the T.V to find regular shows. There was nothing out of place. Derek said we were in another realm. There was no way the internet extended this far. It was glitchy even on earth! I stop trying to make sense of my situation and enjoy myself. After finishing my food I quickly fall asleep.

~~

I wake up surrounded by darkness. My heartbeat fastens and I start to hyperventilate. Did I go blind, or was it dark because I didn't turn on any lights? Even with the lights out, I should be able to make out some of the items in my room. "Hello!" I shout. I know it is always a dumb move in movies, but I was alone. Not only was I alone but I was alone in another realm.

"What is going on?!" I shout once more. I'm not met back with even an echo. I try to control my breathing to calm myself down and close my eyes. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. I imagine a land with unicorns and rainbows. What would really make me happy is my home. Earth, but I knew that was a delusion. I had no way home. I was stuck here.

I open my eyes and I am suddenly surrounded by a meadow with unicorns, flowers, fairies, rainbows, and elves. I definitely wasn't blind. That realization put me at ease. I could be in a dungeon for all I care, as long as I had my eyesight.

I walk around the meadow and pet the unicorns. They didn't feel magical, they felt like normal horses. The fairies were like mosquitos. I nearly swatted one of them down and in return got a very mad fairy. I said a quick apology and went to the waterfall in the middle of the valley. "What is all of this?"

"Your conscious," not expecting a response, I jump and turn around. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find anyone else. I started staring at the unicorns suspiciously. Acknowledging the thought of a talking unicorn was ridiculous, I start to believe I made up the voice. If I thought about it, all of this is ridiculous.

"The unicorns aren't the ones talking to you, elja" I whip my head around to find the source of the voice once more. "Where are you? What are you?" I seem to be asking those two questions a lot more frequently.

"Right here," I see a finger on my shoulder and immediately become defensive. I grab the creature's hand, pull it towards me, and elbow them in the stomach. I turn around to get a good look at the culprit and see a child. This was getting more bizarre by the minute. Why was the kid that tall anyway?

I look down at him and reach my hand out. "Why are you so mean?!" the child exclaims. "Why are you so creepy? You send me to a dark room, then fill the place up with unicorns, then talk without a body!" the child has light brown hair and light blue eyes. He couldn't be more than 4'5. There was no way he should've been able to touch my shoulder.

"I was just trying to play with you," the kid looks down at the ground and pouts. My heart melts at the sight. "What is your name?" his eyes sparkle with my newfound interest in him. "Cayden!" he scurries onto his feat. "And you're Aven. Creatures have been talking about you."

People have been talking about me? How did they know my name and what have they been saying? I ignore these questions and start with the most important ones. "Where are we?"

"We are in your conscious. I dragged you here. Your body is safe and sound in your bed. This is why there are unicorns and meadows. You concocted it with your imagination," This was all me? "But everything feels so real,"

"Everything you feel is a depiction of how you think it will fill or what you have felt. You can feel the sun because you have felt it before. You know how it feels on your skin. You subconsciously made the sun produce heat despite there not being any because it's not real. The unicorns feel like regular horses because that's how you imagine they would feel."

This was the one thing that made sense during my time here. "Why did you drag me here?"

"I put you here because I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see how you look and who you are,"

"You could've talked to me in the halls like a normal person. I thought it was illegal to access someone's mind without permission," was I allowed to say 'person'?

"Eeeeeek! Who told you that so early in? I didn't expect you to have that kind of knowledge already. Yes, what I am doing is illegal. If I was a student in this school anyway." He gives me a cheeky grin. "If you're not a student here then how do you know about me? Surely rumors haven't gotten that far out. And what are you?"

Cayden spins around in a circle with a large grin. "I'm so glad you asked. I know everything and anything. Rumors of your arrival haven't gotten out beyond the school and they won't until the school figures out what you are. In regards to what I am, I'm a demon. What kind of demon you may ask? That's a secret for now but I won't hurt you,"

Something about Cayden was off but he didn't seem to pose a threat. But what did I know? He could be a serial killer for all I know! As long as I was ignorant about this world, I would forever be in danger. I then remembered something Cayden said earlier.

"What does elja mean?" Cayden puts his fist in his hand as if thinking of a bright idea and his mouth forms an o shape. "Right, elja means dear or darling. I can't stay here much longer but it was such a pleasure talking to you. I hope we meet again!"

Cayden childishly waves his hand and disappears. The moment Cayden disappears so does the illusion of a meadow and unicorns. I open my eyes and see the T.V in front of me again. I look at my surroundings and see I'm back in my room. Was every day going to be like this? Too much was happening for my brain to keep up. Only then did something Lucas say come across my mind.

He said it takes a lot of power to get past the mental barrier of a mind, so why was Cayden able to do it with such ease?