On The Outside Looking In {DISCONTINUED}

18

I tapped my pen on the desk as the teacher brought around our assignments from the museum trip at the end of class. It had been a week since we had gone there. Tiye, who was sitting next to me, looked very nervous. It was because this was one of those rare times she didn't do an assignment on her own. Well, that was what she told me when I asked. The teacher placed two copies of the assignment on our desk, one in front of Tiye and one in front of me. We glanced towards each other then simultaneously flipped our papers over. We grinned at each other and shared our marks. I honestly though she would squeal at the A+ we both got. 

She did when we left the room, jumping up and down as she laughed. In the end, she a written down everything I said while we walked as well as what was on the exhibits. "It's almost like you were there," Tiye had laughed. I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I just knew. It was one of those things I couldn't explain. It was one of those things that made me question whether I was really awake. I had no way of knowing for sure. 

Unsurprisingly, Isaac noticed I was acting strange after we got home. I told him my thoughts. He took my hand and squeezed it. "Does this feel real?" I nodded. He pulled me into a hug. "How about this?" I nodded again. "This?" He kissed my hair. I looked up at him questioningly. "You're not asleep. This is real, I promise."

"Alright," I said, still feeling unsure. There were things I could not explain. I sighed, pressing my brow to his chest. "Alright."

Parts of this life did seem normal: I was a teenage girl in high school with a circle of friends and mostly good marks. I played piano, flute, sung, drew, and could cooked a little. Then there were things I didn't understand: I woke up one morning and could both read and speak an ancient language, I had magic, a box of candles and crystals under my bed, and strange memories that didn't fit with this life. Heck, I could levitate. They were mostly small things. I hadn't really paid that much attention to them until recently.

I wouldn't deny just how much the thought scared me. If this was not real, then were was I really? Was I still asleep? Was I even still alive? I had no way of knowing for sure. It didn't matter how many thoughts flowed through my head each day, how much blood was pumping through my veins, nor how many times I felt my heart beat. These were all things one could experience on their own dreamscape. 

A part of me wondered just how many people thought as I did. It wondered how many others in the world questioned if they were awake. Going from what I had seen on The Matrix, it was obvious that there were others. It could be found in many books and TV shows as well. I had a theory that some part of everyone, conscious or not, did question it. 

If I really tried, there were times I could see into the other worlds. Somehow, I knew my eyes were finally beginning to open. I was not afraid of what was to come. I gave Isaac one last squeeze before we pulled apart. "No more bad thoughts," I told him with a smile. 

He ruffled my hair. "Good girl."