Unreadable: A Phan AU

My name is...

(If you didn't read the whole into, go read it now so you aren't 100% confused the whole time. This story will be in Dan's pov for the majority of the story with pieces of Phil's pov scattered about when necessary. And I plan on making this a rather long story so any helpful criticism what-so-ever is appreciated!)

I'll start this off with when I realized I was different. I'm still not sure how this happened, whether I was born with this...ability, or I developed it after something. When I had my first-known encounter with it, I was barely six years old. I was playing with my cousin when my aunt picked her up when they had to leave. As I was saying quick goodbyes so I could return to my toys, I hugged my aunt and looked at her. Next thing I knew, I was seeing all these rapid images. It was like someone put a movie on fast forward but I was still understanding everything I saw. Does that make sense? Anyway, I was in shock after it and I hadn't really processed what had just taken place. A normal person would deeply question this and possibly go see help, but easily-distracted, six year old Dan decided to go back to playing not even a minute after.

I lived the next two or so years fairly normal. It didn't happen again so I had forgotten about it and rarely thought about it, but it didn't stay that way. While I was in school on a random day, just minding my own business, my teacher came over checking on everyone. I wasn't paying too much attention to my worksheet and he figured I didn't know how to do the problems. He kneeded next to me and began explaining a few things, when I made eye-contact with him, I instantly saw the flash again. Again, I shrugged it off. I don't remember what my exact thought process was but I remember thinking it was no big deal. Over the next couple years, it happened every now and then.

The first year I started to wonder in depth about out was when I turned twelve years old. I was with my friend that I had known for about two years. I had looked him in the eyes plenty of times during our friendship, but one day while walking to class, I made eye contact with him and saw everything. I stopped dead in my tracks and realized what had just happened. All the previous times I watched these images flash before my eyes, I didn't understand what I was watching. Sure, I saw everything clearly and I understood I was seeing the world from another perspective, but that one time in the hallway...that was when I discovered what I could do. I went to the nurse and went straight home after the incident claiming I had a headache. (Which wasn't exactly false, considering I just lived another person's life in less than a second.)

It began happened more and more frequently until I turned sixteen. Before that day, I lived maybe...2 or 3 lives a day. Let me explain something before I continue, once I saw their life for the first time, I didn't watch it all over again the next time I saw them. It's hard to explain, but it's like reading a story. I start where I left off the last time I saw them. Okay, back to my sixteenth birthday, I can still feel how confused and scared I was that day. All of my relatives and friends were there and I was so happy. I awoke to the the smell of burning wax and sugary sweetness. When I opened my eyes, my cake was right in front of me and I looked at my mum and dad only to live their lives for the first time. Two people in a row was new, so I needed a second to collect myself before I blew out the candles. I thanked then and when they left for me to change, I thought back to the things I saw and felt like I was intruding on their privacy. I took some medicine for my incoming headache and went downstairs. To my surprise, everyone I cared about was in my living room and I was thrilled...until I made eye contact with everyone. The rest of the day, as you can imagine, was rough. From that point forward, I lived thousands lives.

I never told anyone about what I could do. I didn't want to be a freak. I didn't want to live in an insane asylum or go to counseling. I lived my life just like anyone else, however, like everyone would, I used my talent to my advantage. When going to an interview, I'd find out what my boss wanted and I'd be that person, the same went for dating. Of course, with this advantage, I was perfect in everyone's eyes... as soon as I looked into them. I'd always be the one to break things off. Being artificial gets tiring after a while. I tried to just be myself but it's hard to get close to someone when you know their every secret.

I know I rambled a little, but that is how my life went for a while. I had my ups and downs just like any normal person. Up until one year ago today, the day when everything changed.