Life Is Real

Chapter Two

My head throbbed, pounding a headache with such pain, you'd think you were about to vomit. I was swirled away to a dreamworld, one with bright colours filling the atmosphere. Everything was so strange, your head would spin at the sight of all. Animals spoke and plates walked on two legs, everything was so fake yet so real.

My eyes cracked open as someone shook me lightly, and I found myself facing a grey sidewalk. I was genuinely awake and I had broken free of my hallucinated world. I pushed myself up off cold cement, my head still pounding heavily. I sat up, finding myself in another strange world - but this one realer than the last one. Older-looking buildings surrounded me, and only one thing was familiar to me. Casha was sitting across from me, trembling with her eyes drenched in fear.

"Casha, what happened?" I asked through a grumble, feeling my head throb at its worst. "Where are we?"

"It... It can't be," she stammered with a shaky voice, rocking back and forth. I tilted my head, trying to remove the kink in my neck.

"What can't be?" I asked, getting onto my feet. Casha pointed from her shaking place on the sidewalk. I turned around, following the direction of Casha's finger. I stepped backwards, eyes wide.

Big Ben, the clock Tower of London, stood before us.

"We're in London?!" I exclaimed loudly, having the passerby people around us eye me strangely. My facial expression changed from worried to extremely excited. "Oh my gosh! We're in London!"

"How could this possibly be exciting?!" Casha snapped, standing up and dusting off her black leggings. "Hadley, we are on the other side of the globe!"

"Okay? So?" I muttered, taking in my surroundings. I eyed everything there was on the street - old houses and stores, lampposts and benches. I couldn't stop smiling, even if I was most likely in another dream.

"So?! How can you say 'so' in a time like this?!" Casha shrieked. "Hadley! What are supposed to do here? We have to go home! We have exams coming up, remember?!"

If you haven't noticed, Casha sometimes goes a little over the top with things. She was completely - shall I say it - spazzing. We had somehow traveled to one of the most popular and interesting cities in the whole world, and Casha freaks out. This was a dream come true for me! I had always wanted to travel the world, and now I had teleported to my number one destination - London. The real reason for my London wish was because of all the bands I enjoyed were centred around the city - one of them being Queen.

A round, tubby man approached us suddenly, every step of his thundering against the ground. He wore a black sweater over his beer belly that seemed to make him more noticeable to the public. He had a worried expression that was eyed right at us.

"Excuse me," he started as soon as he was beside us, "My name is James Roland. Are you my junior photographers? Um... Penny and Leila was it?" He pointed at us in time to the names, Casha being 'Penny' and me being 'Leila'.

"I think you must have us mistaken," Casha stated.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, my lying talents kicking in. "See, I'm Penny and she's Leila." Casha whipped around, staring at me angrily. I gave her a shrug, I knew this would be for the better.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mr. Roland chuckled. "I thought you girls said you couldn't make it today, but I'm so glad you came!" He waved a hand, directing us to follow him inside the photography studio that sat right in front of us.

Casha elbowed me in the ribs, giving me a frustrated glare. Sure, Casha didn't appreciate my lying skills, but she just didn't know that I would make our London life better.