The Real World

by Jacob Long

  As we continue to walk around, they inform me that Xyla and Real Jayden have been to her world and back while I was out. They established contact with her uncle who has many resources there. We make plans to meet with Mayor Matua tonight to discuss the next mission to Xyla's World. Our other priorities will be to maintain the safety of the Real World and eliminate the Ministry's ability to teleport to other worlds. '

  RT explains that a new island council has been formed and they have come to the conclusion that I should still lead the new military force for Idem. That means that I'll not only be helping the fight in Xyla's world, I'll also be training soldiers here on Idem. It looks like I will have plenty of opportunities to overcome my teleportation sickness while traveling back and forth between worlds.

  As we make our way back, RT points out some construction plans for the island. Mostly military sites so that we can better prepare for the upcoming war against the Ministry. I tell all of them about Elena and how I couldn't have defeated Carlisle and Fulloway without her. They are a little hesitant to believe me at first. Elena projects herself to them which manages to convince them that if I am crazy, they are too. I decide that I can settle for that. We reach the clinic, and I ask to continue my walk alone for a little while so that I can be with Elena. I take off in flight toward our hill. My landing is a little harder than usual. I'm eager to speak with her. I sit down in our spot and take a deep breath.

  My heart is racing. I'm anxious. Maybe Doc's breathing exercises can help me reach her. Four seconds in. Hold for four seconds. Four seconds out. Hold for another four seconds. As my breath steadies, I place my fingers on my temples and my thumbs on my chin. "Elena," I whisper as I look out to where the sky touches the ocean. "Angel Moya. Where are you?" I close my eyes and Elena appears beside me on the hill. "Hello there, Zvezda Moya," she replies. I look around. "We're in the physical world?" I ask. "I'm the only one that can see you, aren't I?" "You're the only person in the area." "Okay, but if someone found us here, they would only see me, wouldn't they?" "Yeah," She grins. "You probably look crazy right now."

  I stare at her for a moment, smiling. Without thinking, I reach both of my hands up to her cheeks and gently squeeze them. I have to make sure that she's real. I stare in awe at the spectacle of her presence as I slowly lower my hands back down to my sides. “I'm sorry. That was kind of weird,” I say. “I just squeezed your cheeks. ” She smiles. “Yeah, a little bit. But it's okay. You're kind of a weird guy.” I grin and tickle her sides. She laughs, batting my hands away. I suddenly become very aware of how strange I must look in the physical world. “Could we maybe just both be in my mind. It's hard to focus.” “Oh, all right.” The distinction is subtle but noticeable. It's enough to put me at ease.

  "So the dreams were you, all along?" I ask. "Yes. I've been reaching out to you," she replies. "It was the only way I could communicate with you." "You are absolutely incredible," I say. "You're pretty amazing yourself," she replies. After a moment, I find myself staring at her again. "You have got to stop doing that," she says. "Sorry," I reply. "It's just good to know that you're not a memory." She touches my face with her left hand and grabs my right hand with hers.

  “Do I feel like a memory?” she asks as we interlock our fingers together. “It felt like I may have been hallucinating. Like I only imagined that you were there.” “You really think you could have done all of that by yourself,” she smiles. “I've always admired your optimism.” “And I've always enjoyed your sassy attitude,” I reply. We stare each other down, and I tickle her again. I follow as she rolls away. I pause to think for a moment. “I'm still rolling around in the physical world, aren't I? A mischievous grin forms on her lips. I just smile and shake my head before leaning in to kiss her.

  Epilogue

  The Real World–Los Angeles-2020

  Real Jayden – Two Weeks Later

  "One, and one, and two and two, and three and three, and five and five, and seven and six, and five, and nine, and eight, and eight, and nine and ten." Reciting these numbers as I shake, side to side eases my anxious mind. The wall in front of me is white. I arch my head back. The ceiling is white. I arch back further, nearly falling over.

  The wall behind me is white. "Butter, butter- do you want butter on your popcorn? Large drink. Upgrade your drink..." I continue to stare at the wall trying to convince it to reveal its secrets to me. "We can save her! I know we can save her!" I yell trying to get the attention of anyone that has any good sense.

  My neck hurts, so I bring my head back down to face the wall. There's a door in the wall. I want to use it to leave, but it's broken. The room smells like peppermint. I like peppermint. I'm sitting on one of two soft cushion sheets in the room.

  The soft cushion seats won't lift off of the ground. I've tried. A lady walks into the room. She looks familiar. “Hello, Jayden,” she says. “How are you feeling today?” She asks as she sits down on the cushion across from me. “I'm feeling really good, actually,” I reply. “Thank you very much for asking.” “Of course,” she says, smiling.

  “You look familiar,” I say. “Are you familiar to me? Am I familiar to you?” She smiles again. “Well, I should hope that we look familiar to each other,” she replies. “I am your doctor, after all.”

  “Oh, yeah. That's right. I remember now.”

  “Good. I'm glad you remember me.”

  “Of course. Why are you here though?”

  “I'm here to help you remember everything.”

  “Did I forget everything?”

  “You forgot some things.”

  “Before I remember everything, can you let me out of this tight shirt? I can't move my arms.”

  “You need that shirt. You tend to get very scared while remembering and the shirt keeps you safe.”

  I think about this for a moment. “What do I get scared of?”

  “The bad things that happen in your dreams, of course. Don't you remember?”

  “That does sound familiar. I like that word, familiar.”

  “Are you ready to begin?”

  I hesitate. “After I remember everything... then will you let me out of this tight shirt?”

  “After you remember, then I will.”

  “Okay, good. What are we going to work on first?”

  “Your dreams about the Extreme World. Let's figure out what they mean.”

  She leans forward and motions for me to do the same, placing her fingers on my temples. A flurry of images rapidly flashes through my mind. Some of them move too fast for me to register discernibly.

  "What do you see?" asks my doctor. "I see... I see... a man... he's on fire... I see... a woman... he loves her... he can't be with her... because of you... I know who you are." I stand up, striving to break free from my shirt. She stands up with me. “Calm down, Jayden. It's going to be okay.” “No, it won't!”

  The material of my shirt tears open. “I won't let you hurt them.” As my arms break free, two large men storm inside, tackling me to the ground. “I won't let you!”

  Hi there,

  If you're reading this that means you have read the entire book- or you just skipped ahead. Either way, I'm so happy you could join me on this page because now I'm about to ask you for a favor. Don't worry. It's not an extremely difficult favor, but it is an extreme favor, a real favor, a rich favor. See what I did there? Anyhoo, if you enjoyed reading, The Real World, I would ask that you write a review on Amazon. And if you didn't enjoy it, feel free not to write anything about it.

  Thanks for reading

  - Jacob Long

 

 

 
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