All around me was nothing but darkness. Yet, I could see something stirring within.

I choked as I tried to breathe, almost as if I was underwater, drowning. When I looked down, I realized I was not standing on anything at all. Rather, I was floating in place, regardless of how much I thrashed around.

Then, from the darkness, emerged a figure wearing long and billowy robes as black as the darkness around us. He was like the grim reaper and he beckoned to me. He was like Charon, that ferryman of the underworld, but not quite.

Sitting where his head should’ve been was a goat skull, pale and white.

The distance between us closed and it wasn’t clear if it was because I was moving forward or it was. There was nothing I could do, so I buried my fear for whatever was going to happen and we simply drifted, silent and still, until we were within arm's reach. It was then that a skeletal hand peaked out from its robes.

With a finger, it stabbed into my forehead, but there was no pain. Instead, wild and vivid scenes, with both picture and sound, flooded my mind.

I was born, crying.

Playing with wooden toys as a child, I heard the wood echo as it fell onto the floor.

Around the village, the voices of adults chattered.

There were other children. Some I would call my friends and we would cheer and laugh.

We’d grow bigger. Older. Given a list of new responsibilities.

With less time to play. Old friends were lost.

Yet, new friends gained. Gained from mutual responsibilities.

With one such friend, an argument would arise.

There would be shouting. Threats.

We fight, but I hear the sound of bone cracking as I fall.

My mind returns to the darkness around me and see that I’m alone. I touch my forehead and find there’s no hole. With no trace of its existence, the thing with the goat skull has disappeared entirely.

I was beginning to disappear entirely, as well, or my vision was just fading for a second time in recent memory.

I closed my eyes, prepared for a long and final sleep, until my eyes shot open as I gasped for breath as I leapt up from bed.

I’m alive! Not today, bitch!

My body was cold, but the warmth of the sunlight traveling through the window energized me in a way I haven’t felt since I was a hopeful child. It felt good. Real good. Though, as I stretched my stiff body, feeling every joint in my body popping, I had to ask myself.

“Who’s fucking bed is this?”

The room in which I’ve found myself is beautiful, accented by its pleasantly rustic design. The walls are even painted with a subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Though, the lack of sockets and switches, anything electrical, gives me the impression that I’m in some shack in the middle of nowhere. Potentially surrounded by inbred cannibals.

There was a worn, wooden chair beside the bed. Placing my hand to the seat, it felt a little warm to the touch. I might have to fight my way out of here, because it couldn’t have been too long since somebody sat on it!

While it’s rather miraculous that all my limbs seemed to be fine, considering my run-in with that rogue taxi, they felt strange. My torso as well, felt abnormal. It was as if my whole body was slightly taller. A little skinnier too...

Maybe I’ve been in a coma and I’ve gone through one last growth spurt while I was asleep. It would explain why nothing hurts, but it doesn’t feel like my muscles have atrophied. On the contrary, I feel stronger than before.

It’s a miracle I survived whatever happened to me, but I guess it wasn’t that bad in the end.

Regardless, it doesn’t explain this shitty bed I’m in. The blankets that covered me are a very rough linen, but as if explicitly made to be rough on skin! Even the clothes on my body are rather rough as well.

First, I failed my test, then I got ran over. Now, I'm at some unknown place, after waking from a coma, after an unknown period of time. Even if my clothes were torn in the hit and run, couldn’t I have at least gotten something soft?

I would be scared shitless, but I could feel the heat in my body building as my blood pressure climbed. There’ll be consequences for whatever fuckery is going on.

Then, I heard the echo of hurried footsteps and I grabbed the chair beside the bed. I may not know where I am, but I know that wherever I might be, hard wood still crushes bone.

“Alex?” A womans voice called out, before the door swung open.

She saw me, holding the chair, and jumped back, shrieking. To be honest, I was a little more scared than I care to admit, because I started shrieking too.

“Alex! Alex! Thank goodness you're awake, but put down the chair!”

“Who the fuck is Alex? My name is-” I don’t remember what my name is, but it sure as shit isn’t Alex. Though, it feels incredibly familiar. Regardless, it hardly matters right now.

“Who the fuck are you?” I shouted back at her.

“Alex! Why are you talking like that? What’s happened to you?” She screamed.

“I don’t know who Alex is! I don’t know who you are!” I screamed back.

Her eyes had begun to water. “I am your mother!”

“Impossible!”

The woman was around middle aged and looked at me like she was as panicked and confused as I was. Who was she? Her hair was a peculiar shade of brown and red. Auburn, I guess. Her skin was a light olive complexion and her eyes sparked like emeralds.

She felt familiar, like the name ‘Alex,’ but I would’ve remembered if I had seen her before. Though, I can’t even remember my name, so maybe that’s not really true.

Then, I noticed the skin on my hands and arms. It was a very similar complexion to hers. Did she take me outside to tan or something? Oh fuck, she dyed my hair too! It’s auburn, like hers! This is seriously messed up!

“Alessa, what’s going on here?” An elderly man with thin white hair and the darkest blue robes ran to the woman’s side.

“It’s Alex! She’s awake, but something’s wrong!”

“I know what this is! It must be a side effect from one of my potions!”

“The FUCK do you mean by ‘POTIONS’? What have you people been doing to me?”

“We can explain when you’ve calmed down. For now...” The old man sent chills down my spine when I looked into his milky white eyes, but then he raised an open hand and began mumbling to himself. When a swirling orb of shining light appeared from his palm, I really freaked out and threw my chair at him. I didn’t know what sort of electrical shenanigans he was pulling, but I wasn’t taking the risk.

It was some perfect aiming, though, because it went straight through the door and into the old man. The chair, meanwhile, must’ve been weaker than it seemed, because it broke on impact. Then again, I’ve heard of adrenaline and fear making people stronger in intense situations, so maybe it’s that!

“Narses! Are you okay?” She said.

“I’m okay, but you need to get your daughter back in bed before she does something drastic! Even more than this, I mean.” He said, pinching his bloodied nose.

The woman, whom the old ‘Narses’ referred to as ‘Alessa’, charged through the door and threw me to the floor with such speed and strength that I don’t even know why she was ever screaming.

“I’m sorry, Alex, but I have to do this!” She said as I swore and yelled in pain, but I felt her grip loosen.

I kicked at her and she was sent flying back out the doorway. I’m pretty sure they must’ve have given me steroids or something, because that was a little too strong. It almost made me feel bad, but I really had to get away.

So, I jumped through the window, breaking it open on the way out towards the dirt below. It was fortunate that breaking the window didn’t hurt, because the fall definitely would. Had I realized I was on the second floor, I might not have jumped in the first place.

I threw my arms in front of my face, closed my eyes. I mentally prepared for impact as I kept my body limp, like I heard all drunkards do, to protect myself physically. When I didn’t feel the impact, I opened my eyes and saw that I wasn’t falling. I was floating in place.

“I’ve caught you now, you feisty little fox! I win! Hahaha!” I turned my head as far as I could and I saw the old Narses leaning at the window, holding his hands towards me as they shone with that same bright light as before.

“Oh shit, is this magic?” It seemed obvious, but I really had to ask. Just had to.

“Of course! How hard did you hit your head? What else would it be?” He said, still laughing. “If I bring you back up, you might get stuck with a few splinters if you haven’t already. So, I’ll lower you down. Just stay put and I’ll explain everything. Okay?”

“Okay.” What choice do I even have?

“Oh, really? Okay then.”

While it felt creepy to be called a ‘feisty little fox’ by this weird old man, I’m sure he and Alexeia mean well. They both had their chance to hurt me and I suppose they must have been taking care of me while I was unconscious.

Besides, the raging pillar of swirling blue light in the horizon gives me the impression that I’m not even on Earth anyway. I mean, it’s stretching from where the land meets the sky and into fucking space. That’s no normal light show, right?

I should give them a chance, even if one of them wants me to call her mother.