Alex snapped out of his daze when his folded hand knocked empty air as the door was opened before a knock sound could be made.

A handsome young man with pure black hair trimmed at the side into a glorious haircut, stood by the door smiling at him. His brown eyes glowed from the evening sunlight that hit them from an angle. Which made Alex completely envious. White earphones hang around his ears, joining at the intersection under his neck which connected them to the phone he was holding. He wore a long-sleeved tight t-shirt that hugged his well-built torso. Showing off his chiseled chest and abs. A pair of shorts and a tight trouser under it. And finally, a pair of air max shoes. A clear sign he was heading out on an evening jog.

"Oh, Alex. Come in." He stepped aside to let Alex in.

"So, what brings you here," he asked, closing the door behind him. Before walking in and sitting with Alex on the L shaped grey sofa set that was stationed opposite the pitch black 62-inch flat screen TV.

Alex took some time to reply as his thoughts were in a jumble of chaos.

"What else do you think? I am here to beat you," he said. His words were supposed to come out more enthusiastic and mocking, they sounded so blank and emotionless that anyone would think he was in a daze of hypnosis.

"Don't you have school tomorrow?" Ralph asked with a brow raised.

"Nope, tomorrow's Saturday."

"Oh crap, how can I lose track!" he explained looking at the date on his phone.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his head, he walked to the flat screen television and turned it on. “So, you wanna start now?"

Alex didn't seem to hear his uncle.

Seeing Alex's absent-mindedness, he couldn't help but ask, "Hey kid what's wrong with you. What happened? Is that kid picking on you again?"

"I... I saw someone get killed," said Alex still traumatized by what happened earlier.

"What! How did it happen? A car accident?" Ruff quickly rushed and sat beside his nephew.

"No, he was.... It was a scientist. He was shot by some person he called boss." said Alex staring lazily into the air.

"Did you see the person."

"Yes. He had grey hair and was wearing a suit. He looked rich. He was smoking one of these fancy large cigarettes. He ordered his bodyguards to kill a guy." He started explaining. Brow’s creased in confusion. What was the point of telling him? He wasn’t some sort of policeman or something. He thought.

“And the man they shot; do you still remember his appearance?” Ralph asked leaning in closer to Alex. His expression turning grim at the Alex’s description.

“Why are you asking?” Alex raised his brow at Ralph’s suspicious actions. He was the one that brought up the topic. So, it was only natural that he completed it. But Ralph’s grim expression; it overly unexpected.

“Just answer me……” Ralph raised his voice in a panicky voice, “Sorry……Please tell me.” He calmed down. Realizing his sudden outburst.

“Umm……….I remember that boss guy calling the scientist Mike” Alex stated. Having a flash back on what happened.

Ralph sunk back into the chair as he let out a sigh. Alex spotted his hands tremble for a moment as he let out a sigh. But only for a second. He had to blink twice as he thought his vision was blurry because all he saw were after images of Ralph’s trembling hands. When he looked again, Ralph’s hand was back to normal. So, he could only conclude with the fact his vision was turning blurry from the traumatizing experience.

Seeing Ralph’s hurt expression had him wondering whether the two were acquainted in one way or another. But Ralph’s mood changed to normal the next moment as he suddenly blurted, “Forget about that…time to beat you!!!!!!!” with a mocking smile.

“…” Alex was rendered speechless by the statement. Just a while ago, he was thinking of ways to cheer Ralph up for his loss of a dear one or something, yet the person he was talking about had changed moods like a chameleon and was now back to his cheery composure.

Alex pushed everything to the back of his mind," You're on. " Picking up the white game pad on the table, he clicked start. Leaning forward while closing his other hand on the other side of the pad, he readied himself for the game.

Alex sighed taking off his jacket and throwing it on his bed. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and tapped his WhatsApp icon. He let out a disdainful smile at his actions. Why bother when his social status was this miserable!!!!! Throwing the phone on the table a little harshly, he ran his hands through his hair as he let out a sigh to calm his emotions. Why the hell was he feeling this way?

Images of Julie played through his head. Each one of them not as pleasant as he thought them to be. Cause she was with some guy. Falling victim to his charm. And it infuriated him to the spine. Why am I having these thoughts? He yelled inwardly, pressing his hands against his throbbing temples. His sight becoming blurry and his head feeling light. “Why am I feeling this way?” he tried to scream but his voice came out as a whisper before he plunged into the dark abyss behind his heavy eyelids. Luckily, he fell into his soft bed and not the hard parked floor. Though he clearly knew he had fainted, his insides bubbled with excitement as he knew what came next. And as expected, a world built up around his conscious. Looking down at his body, he could see his hands pixelate and generate along with the rest of his body. He then looked around the place and realized he was standing in the aftermath of an explosion. Wails of ambulances, fire trucks and police sirens filled the atmosphere. With the usual blue and red flickering lights that accompanied them falling all over the place. Cries and yells reached his ears as the whole place was in chaos. Some cried because of the excruciating pain. Others cried because of a loss of dear one. While the yells were from the rescue team that were trying to save the people buried under the ravel.

Suddenly, his conscious got dragged over a distance at hyper speed. As though he had travelled through a worm hole. The whole process giving him immense nausea as he screamed.

He slowly flattered his eyes open to adjust his eyes to light. A whizzing sound vibrated through his eardrums as his temples hurt tremendously. The cries and wails from earlier still muffled in his ear, along with several hurried footsteps. He sat up on whatever he was lying on and looked around. He was in a hospital. And was lying on one of those hospital modernized stretchers. But something seemed off. When he reached out to feel what flowed down his forehead. Bringing back his hand, he discovered that his fingers were stained with blood. Not only that, but he also discovered that he wasn’t in his conscious’ body anymore. He was in a thin body with loose and big clothes stained with sand and debris.

"Oh no Alex!"he suddenly jumped down from the bed in a panic, "Where's Alex?" he looked around crowded hospital hall.

Wait, why am I calling out my name? Why does my voice sound different? Where the thoughts that ran through Alex’s mind.

“Three-year-old boy……critical head injury; take him in for operation immediately!” a voice reached his ears. Subconsciously turning around to see the source, a group of nurses and doctors pushed a boy on a hospital bed in rushed steps. Blood stained the sheets he was lying on and the doctor held a mask over the boy’s nose to keep him breathing. Was……was that me? Alex asked himself. But before he could think, the body he was in ran to them. It was like he wasn’t in control anymore. And was just watching from a person’s point of view.

“Alex………Alex……!!!!!!!!!!!!!” he screamed trying to reach for the boy.

But a nurse stopped him and halted his steps. “Please go wait in the reception area.” She said, stretching out her arms to block the resisting thin man. “Alex…..that’s my nephew………..Let me see him……Let me go see him!”

Unfortunately, two strong arms held his hands and dragged him away. Before placing him on one of the benches in the waiting area. He tried resisting but the burly men were overpowering so he could only sit obediently. Seeing that he had calmed down, the burly men walked away to attend to another commotion.

“An accident at Pex Corp has claimed hundreds and hundreds of lives……..According to the director, a couple of irresponsible scientists messed around with dangerous equipment hence the incident………”

He stared at the television that was hang right above the reception table on the ceiling stand. His gaze turned grim and cold as he stared at the figure in the television. All sounds became muffled as his anger overshadowed them. That’s the man that killed that scientist! Alex exclaimed inwardly. Not like he had a choice. His voice couldn’t come out through this body. “If anything happens to Alex………” Before he could listen to the body finish the curse, he was thrown into the same dark wormhole he came. The familiar nausea and uneasiness accompanying him.

He flattered his eyes open as the loud sound of his alarm haunted his ears. He let out groan as he reached for the phone, but he couldn’t. Mustering all the energy left in him, he pushed himself up on bed and stretched his arms out wide to yawn. He pushed the blanket off his body and got out of bed in a lazy manner, before turning off the alarm. He ran his hands to his face to get rid of the sleepiness in his eyes. I had it again. I had that dream. He muttered inwardly. But when he tried to remember the dream, he couldn’t recall one bit of it. That was expected of a dumb student. If he couldn’t remember a single answer in a textbook, how could he even try to remember a dream. Sighing miserably, he walked to the bathroom.

*In the school Cafeteria*

"So……… Am sorry bro." Calvin said. His voice muffled from the large piece of sandwich he had put in his mouth

Alex sipped on the can of soda he was holding while switching his gaze from Julie who had just walked in, to Calvin, "why?"

"Bro. We are having exams next week………And well, you know your issue with teacher.” Calvin scratched his scalp awkwardly. Feeling sorry for Alex.

Alex’s expression turned grim at Calvin’s statement. With or without Madam Morgan disowning him, he would still fail the exam with 0 – 10% marks. And this time, he would have to repeat the class. He had come this far because of his parents bribing the teachers to promote him. Unfortunately, there was an end to everything. If he wanted to get promoted this time, he would have to cheat in the exam, or change his marks in the school’s system. The latter was extremely hard, and it needed him sneaking into the school. And the former, was riskier than the other one. If he were caught, it would mean elimination.

'Why does this have to happen to me?' he thought to himself from the dilemma he was facing. Never has he thought of cheating in exams. Yet here he was, concocting a plan on doing so. He wished he at least had a potion of his uncle’s intellect.

Calvin caught sight of Julie walk their way with a tray in her of food in her hands. No scratch that. She was heading to where her friends sat. And it so happened, their bench was in the way; "Bro your crush, behind you. But don't look." he said quickly averting his gaze to the half sandwich he held. The nervousness in Alex’s spreading to him too.

Something flickered in Alex as he made a swift movement to grab Julie by the waist before she fell to the ground. She was on the verge of screaming, when she abruptly held Alex’s shoulders for support.

The world seemed to have come to a standstill for Alex as he looked into her eyes. This was the closest he had ever come to Julie!

He could hear his heart race uncontrollably behind his ribcage. But the moment only lasted two short seconds as it was interrupted by the loud sound of the tray hitting the ground.

Helping her up, he bowed his head to the ground not daring to look into her eyes. Her presence making his cheeks blush. But the thankyou he expected didn’t come. Instead, an unfriendly bump of shoulders as she walked past him in a fit of rage or was it disappointment.

"Psych. Not even a thank you," said Calvin feeling sorry for his friend.

Alex sighed and continued with his meal.

*In the school hallway*

"That kid is so dumb." Alex looked to see where the voice came from. And he caught sight of a girl in a group of fancy girls looking at him with disgust. Lowering his head, he ignored them.

“He’s such a loser.” Another voice penetrated his ears. And this time he was able catch a glimpse of the person before he said. It was that rich kid that was wooing his Julie. He leaned against the lockers with his other football team muscular friends. His gaze turned to him in disgust. But something seemed off. He didn’t move his lips. So how did he say that.

"Jake’s so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” exclaimed another girl voice.

“Ahhh……………look at those yes.”

“I had better head home and read.”

“Wonder what present I’ll get this time.”

“That stupid Ben better get me a new phone or else.”

Voice after voice entered Alex’s ears. And they weren’t pleasant to him as they mixed with each other in a disorganized manner. And they were getting louder with each passing second. Suddenly, his head started throbbing painfully immensely. “AAAAAAHHHHH.” He whimpered as the headache become unbearable. The world around him started turning as he felt dizzy. And the voices weren’t helping in anyway. He let out an agonizing scream as he slammed violently into the lockers. His ears already bleeding from the extreme headache and unbearable sound. The air around him became too thin to breath. He pressed his palm on his ears to let out the noise. But it still got in!!!!!!!!!

"Ahhhhhhhhh AAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” he gritted his teeth. His supposed to be scream coming out as a growl. He fell to his knees as he felt his body being sucked of energy.

“Ahhhh……. Hel-help.” Falling flat on his belly, he stretched out his hands to reach out for the legs that distanced themselves from him. Crawling desperately slow. His eyelids blinked slowly, feeling heavy. Until eventually falling into the darkness.