"Is this magic?" Lex thinks his mind whirring with a mixture of surprise and excitement.
The wound that he is sure was there but a moment ago has disappeared replaced with smooth skin, almost like it had never been torn. That space though, has affected him, it was real. It must've been...
"What space? Where even was I?" Lex thinks. His thoughts slowly trail off into a fog.
"Was it just a dream?" Lex murmurs to himself looking up at the soft bathroom lights and squinting. "Some sick dream if so. What was that? Monsters? Was there someone I know?" Attempting to recall the events of his dream Lex smirks, "A new low, falling asleep in the school bathrooms." Along with the humour of the situation, Lex feels a sense of relief wash over him like a blanket. The immense fear and strange sensations from a moment ago have disappeared.
A wave of fatigue washes over him as he starts to stand up. The waves of slow incantations attempt to lull him to sleep, yet Lex knows he still has to get up and about. "Don't want to make Everlyn worry about me more." He thinks.
"Hold on. If I just slept then how am I tired?" Lex checks his phone for the time.
Ten thirty.
"No time has passed, so what happened?" Lex thinks confused, "At least Everlyn and Eren will still be in class, hopefully I can make it up to them soon."
Lex thinks back to running away and the events leading up to it. Only black is in his mind as he tries clasping at the dream-like threads of memories that are still fading. Lex tries to pull them down revealing what he can only assume to be the memories of the dream. Yet despite his efforts, or perhaps because of them, the memories fade even faster leaving Lex with a hollow sensation. "Urrg, this is so irritating, now I have to go back and just say I got scared? At least I could've had a story." His internal irritation is cut short by the sounds of students in the common room, their voices only just fading in like a sample in a song.
Lex straightens taking in a deep refreshing breath of air. He puts one hand up to block out the glow of the lights, almost falling out of the stall. Lex takes a moment before exiting the bathroom, the flood of memories from the dream already dissipating like a drop of dye in a lake. The fires in his side and heart also start to disperse leaving a feeling of contentment and catharsis. Yet he also knows he is forgetting something gravely important.
"I feel so much better." Lex yawns as he exits the room. The familiar stairwell and common room face Lex, standing still for a moment he is hit with a sudden sense of Deja-vu. The hallway lights look slightly dimmer yet the gloom passes as quickly as it came, the sounds of students chatting bursts anew from the room beside him breaking through his thoughts.
Turning and opening the door, Lex is hit by a sensory shock, the oversaturated colours of the sunlight room temporarily paralyzing him. The common room looks much the same as any day, the neat lockers contrasting with the mess of students and bags. "And the broken glass?" Lex thinks, right as the seemingly important memory fades away. Lex puts on a perplexed expression as he attempts to piece together his thought process in his mind.
As Lex continues his thoughts, strange memories appear in his mind. But just as he thinks he can grab onto them, they disappear. "I need to sit down" Lex muses, "I must look so strange."
As Lex walks, his phone rings to notify him that his message has been sent. Despite feeling a vague sense of guilt, Lex moves to a secluded corner of the room and sits down. He puts his headphones in and stares forward, his mind too cluttered to process anymore interactions.
Outside the windows Lex can see students migrating to the cafeteria or sports hall all seemingly eager to continue the day. "Must be the end of break soon I guess."
The lyrics to a 2000's rock ballad in Lex's headphones allows him to sink further into apathy. "Yeah, it's too much to deal with people right now." He concludes whilst the corners of his mouth play with a smile.
As the clock ticks closer to the end of break Lex looks around at the crowd of students. As he stares, in the corner of his eye, he sees a dark figure. Lex turns to look but it disappears like a mirage.
"Am I seeing things?" Lex murmurs under his breath.
A voice, from behind him.
"Lex, where have you been?" A worried Everlyn asks.
Lex whips around, shocked, then realizing who it is slowly calms down while taking out his earphones. Staring up at her tense face, Lex gives a small grin back. "Sorry about that, i don't know what came over me. I think I was tired?" Lex chuckles. "I just fell asleep over there." He points to the bathroom.
"Thank god, I thought it might've been something really bad." She sits down on the soft bench next to Lex giving him a slight hug, then leans back, her expression untensing. An overall sense of calm settles over the both of them. Lex subconsciously drowns out the bustling of students around him to focus on Everlyn.
However, that moment of reprieve is not to last as Lex's mind begins to sway, almost like a mirage, his memories begin to overlap with someone else's, no, his own. The shimmering illusion of memories disappears, leaving faint traces in the sands of his brain. It begins to scorch, like an intense headache. Acute pain morphs Lex's head, forming scenes that he doesn't even remember.
"Don't worry, it's nothing." Lex groans, putting a hand to his head and the other up as if to ward off any questions.
"It's nothing..." Everlyn repeats, lost in thought.
"I'm sorry for running off," Lex states, wanting to put the thought out there despite the pain detaching him from the conversation.
Everlyn doesn't say anything but props forward in thought. She rests her head on her hand and stares at the wall. The cold school lights above reflect on her eyes, which shine brightly from Lex's viewpoint. Lex dulls his eyes, sensing a loss of interest, but keeps waiting for her to speak.
Then, all of a sudden, the sight of her sitting there forces through another emotion, loss.
"Huh? Sadness, loss, grief?" Lex thinks, the sudden burden on his heart surprises him. "Where is this coming from?"
The stream of memories and emotions overwhelms Lex, keeping him silent. Next to him, Everlyn also sits, quiet and serene, seemingly in control. To a quietly panicking Lex, this seems very strange; normally Everlyn is talkative and upbeat.
"Almost like she is listening to someone, or meditating." Lex thinks, yet is almost immediately pulled back into the pain of remembering. Then he has an epiphany, turning the corner, seeing Jack.
Lex looks around, startled. Almost in reaction to his thoughts, his eyes lock onto Jack's, who stares back like someone just doused in cold water.
Though no words are exchanged, Lex can tell exactly what Jack's thoughts are just from the look in his eyes: "Get away from her."
"Ring Ring." The bell notifies the students to leave the area, herding them away from the two on the seats. The clatter of bodies and bags snaps Lex out of his trance.
Soon, Jack resigns, leaving only Everlyn and Lex. Neither are ready to continue the conversation, yet neither are ready to leave.
As Lex studies Everlyn, all the memories of the dream returning to him, he can see the spark in her eyes that she always carries, go out. Just like the expression of a dead man, her eyes glaze over and reform as if Lex can see to her very soul. The very sight fills Lex with an indescribable dread.
"So, what was that, that dream?" Lex cautiously mutters, looking at her with anxiety on his face. "Everlyn, are you alright?" He asks, letting his worry seep into his voice. He tries to find a connection with the person who seems to be fading right in front of his eyes. Her staying quiet for this long around him is not just strange, but unsettling.
Then, like the sound of broken glass, her voice finally exposes Lex and his fears.
"No, I'm not Lex, to be honest, I'm tired of listening to your complaints and feelings." Everlyn starts, not even a hitch in her breath, her demeanour totally different from a moment ago. Lex sits in shock, his eyes widen, but he is silent. "I always have to help you through what you're going through, but you never do the same for me. And you don't even hang out with me anymore." She attempts to get all of her emotions and feelings out in one, tense breath, yet ends up struggling for air. "Today you ran away, and you didn't even come with me and our friends this weekend... You're just a lazy shut-in."
Lex's brows knit in confusion, his eyes searching for any signs of a joke. Yet, nothing remotely similar took refuge in Everlyn's eyes. "I was there on the weekend, Everlyn. We- We played golf, I was terrible. I missed that half-meter shot, don't you remember?" Lex half pleads, half chuckles, trying to get her to come clean, say this is just a joke. Yet her behavior is too contradictory, too abnormal. It's almost as if she isn't even the same person Lex knows.
"Golf? I've never seen you play." Everlyn says, finally, confusion spreading across her face too.
Lex stews in his confusion and slight horror, yet he finally has the full picture, all of the dream, all of the pain; he remembers it. How long was he there for? Days? Months? Did it even matter? He didn't know, yet he remembered the subject of it very well.
Tentatively, Lex fixes his mind, his emotions only dampened by his experience in the dream. "Was it really a dream though?" Lex thinks, "I can remember it so vividly, and it felt like it was real; normally in dreams it's fuzzy and indistinct." Instinctively pushing such a ridiculous thought to the back of his mind, Lex focuses.
"So I have decided to stop seeing you, it's not making me happy." Everlyn says matter-of-factly, "And I doubt you are either, I would advise you take a good look at yourself, Lex, before talking to anyone else." Everlyn puts on a faint smile, or is it a smirk?
Lex nods if just to make the moment pass quicker. Perhaps if he hadn't experienced that... dream, he wouldn't have been able to deal with such a sudden rejection. But what he saw there made him believe and accept the fact of Everlyn leaving him. He, weirdly, almost foresaw it coming even without the memories. Thus, instead of surprise on his face, one could only make out a cold acceptance.
"Just one more thing, Everlyn," Lex says, face perfectly balanced, "Are you going out with someone else now?"
"It may make me seem pathetic, but I need to know if I'm right. Was that prophecy?" Lex thinks, his heart beating faster.
"Haha," Everlyn chuckles, "Of course, only feeling attached now? I don't have to tell you anything, but if you must know, yes, I am and with Jack Vey."
It is Lex's turn to chuckle, "Haha, yes, I am the Muad'dib!" The stupid remark earning Everlyn's disgusted glare. "She doesn't even act remotely the same as how she used to," Lex thinks, the realization sinking over him.
"I'm off," She says, getting up and not meeting his eyes. "Good luck or whatever."
The person Lex thought he knew the best in the world walks off without another word.
"There is no way that was the real Everlyn, right? But then who is it?" Lex thinks, putting his head in his hands. "And what was the dream? It reacted to me, to what I was feeling, but it also manipulated me. Is that why she has changed?" It seems to be the only explanation for a struggling Lex. Yet despite the rejection, he doesn't seem perturbed, no voices or longing clamour in his head, just a wave of excitement to see what this world is.
"There were those monsters, though." Lex mulls over the situation on his hands. "There's not much I can do at the moment, but if I get sent back... I should try and return Everlyn-" Lex stops. "Do I want to go back? Back to a boring life? That dream, or experience, or whatever was hell. But it was more exciting than anything, ever! Why would I give that up? I could be a hero fighting against those creatures between the halls." Lex's mind flashes with visions of excitement, heroism, and adventure.
He then realizes he doesn't want everything to go back to normal. In fact, he wants it to keep getting more exciting, he wants the walls of his mundane life to crash down and reveal what he is truly meant for. Indeed, Lex doesn't care that he was dumped. It is like seeing a light at the end of a long tunnel, an escape from mundanity. And now Lex has that, so why would he give it up? Even if he continues to deteriorate, spiral, and mourn, he isn't going to give it up.
A small smile plays on Lex's lips as he stands up, his mood lifting higher than it had ever been before. "Does this make me a bad person?" Lex thinks, looking back to the old Everlyn, "If- If she is happier now... That space was just showing me what I needed to see. It has opened my eyes, everyone is better off without me, and I don't need them." Lex smiles, happy he has finally said what has been on his mind the whole time.
Lex pushes away the longing for companionship and love, a closeness that can never be replicated, and smiles a happy, but empty smile. Lex moves his hand to his side to feel the wound-free skin on his hip once more.
Then he walks out of the common room, now completely devoid of people. "Almost like-" Lex thinks back to the monsters, the indescribable abomination, and the cartoonishly strange creature that assaulted him before. Like a stain on his mind, he can still see their forms in devastating clarity, but now he knows they can't hurt him, he feels at ease, even comfortable with the thought of them.
"What could they have been? Were they natural inhabitants of that space, or more things my mind has conjured? If so, I'm pretty messed up." He muses as he looks at his timetable and begins to walk towards his classroom.
In a moment, a sudden wave of fatigue hits Lex like a truck, his brain melts, feeling the brunt of many late nights. "It wasn't this bad!" Lex thinks as he stands up like a boxer recovering from a punch. "Maybe these are the downsides to that dream? I guess it wasn't a dream thought, I should call it something else." In Lex's fogged-up mind, the memory of running down an infinite hall surfaces. "Perfect, they are hall spaces." Lex nods, pleased with himself.
Feigning a smile, Lex continues to walk forward past many classrooms. One door passes, another door passes, was that the creature? Lex turns, looking through a window to a class feeling his heart drop to his stomach.
There are rows of students listening attentively, no one in particular stands out, though a couple of guys are goofing around at the back. They look up at Lex, trying to stifle snickers.
"What am I doing?" Lex wonders as he continues, annoyed at himself for being so paranoid. He feels fatigue and another sensation, he is being watched. He wasn't good enough, he didn't give enough. The ideas pop into his head, just like the memories from the dream, yet he knows they are implanted. Not his own.
Lex ignores the pangs of fear and flashes of paranoia echoing throughout him, instead, he continues walking. "This can't happen again, it's too soon," He thinks as he speeds up, like it will make any difference.
Hurriedly opening the door to his class, his anticipation is brought to a climax. He is greeted by an empty void; the paranoia and fatigue are gone, only a sensation of awareness and the feeling that he should be very, very quiet.
Without realising it, he closes his eyes to the void, almost shying away from its glare. Lex stifles a gulp as he slowly releases the pressure in his eyes, revealing a classroom of eldritch creatures. The best way they can be described is as pillars of darkness radiating abominable limbs, tongues, tentacles, and skinless fingers all pointed at Lex accusingly. Yet the worst part of the strange beings is the faces of his classmates, all smiling, with painted-on red frowns. As Lex's eyes open, he searches for a grip on reality, until he notices their faces, devoid of eyes or teeth. Then all of the empty sockets turn, without a sound, to look at Lex.
"Go to sleep." They all say in unison, yet no sound escapes them. It is almost as if they are speaking directly to Lex's brain, not a conversation, but a command.
Lex falls, blacking out.
---
The rest of the class look on incredulously.
Lex had walked in ten minutes late, seemingly drunk or fatigued, proceeded to act like he had just seen the devil, and fallen on the floor.
"This is sure to spread around school like a wildfire." Someone whispers from the front row.
"Someone bring him to the nurse." The teacher, Mrs. Bula, shouts at the student closest to the door, clearly not caring enough to even check on him.
Muted chatter bursts out amongst the students, earning piercing glares from Bula.
The person closest to Lex stands up and, taking him by the arm, drags Lex away.