Overlap

Chapter 2: Lapis Feeling

<08/14/2009 - ??:?? | Location Unknown>

Shifting my eyes left and right behind the shades of my eyelids, I cringed slightly, preparing for the usual morning grogginess I learned to despise so much. How I hate the fact that we need to sleep, only to awaken again feeling like this. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up, wondering what time it was since the alarm was again not going off. Certainly I must have woke up earlier than I was used to again... Or not?!

With the force of a bag of bricks, the surprise and shock hit me immediately when I realized I was lost in unfamiliar surroundings. This isn't my room! It's a full on rain forest! My eyes panned around, absorbing the details of the lower canopy of such dense woods, darkened significantly by the light-lapis fog blanketing the air with a warm invisible mist. Trees were in every direction, endless and taller than I'd ever seen before.

Lifting my hands from the damp dirt of the ground, I further realized how horrific the situation was. Wherever I am was certainly no place I recognized. How I got here was its own mystery separate from how I was going to get out. Without even checking or patting myself down, I knew I had no cell phone or hidden food on me. I don't go to bed with that kind of stuff. Without any shoes or socks, wandering around here was going to be twice as annoying.

But even with the sun blocked out by the intense fog, it was still so easy to see everything in front of me. The brightness looking straight up did not blind me, but it was not darkening either, which proves it was still daylight. If anything, I'd rather try to get out of here before that light surrenders again to the night.

Before I could even try to figure out what my next plan would be, the sight to my left was an even bigger shock than the last, paralyzing my entire body. Whatever was going on, I could not begin to make any sense of it. Lying on the ground nearby, though scattered about somewhat, were three others. Everyone was still wearing their casual clothes, in fact, they had their shoes still firmly attached. Guess I drew the short straw on that account. I wasn't alone out here; that was the most important consideration.

Once I realized how much I would need them, my initial instinct kicked in, allowing me to move again to quickly wake them from their slumber. Another detail came to mind, slowing me down as I pondered why I and the three other girls were waking up lost in a deep forest with no way out, but the more distracting detail before me was that these girls are people I recognize. They're all classmates!

The blond closest to me is Keeley. She's in the same grade and school as me, though we don't have any classes together, but I recognize her from the school year before this one, meeting in 5th grade. Seeing her this close and unconscious was too unsettling, so I rushed in and tried to shake her awake from her shoulder. "Come on," I urged desperately. "Everyone wake up!"

Keeley cringed and shifted the moment I touched her, showing signs of someone who will come back from a deep sleep in a minute or two. I figured my time will be best spent waking everyone at once, so I moved on to the next classmate further to my right, shaking her awake in the same way. Though I don't really know her beyond name, the girl here was Lori. Despite not talking to her last year, I do tend to remember plenty of names and faces of all the people I passively observe. What matters right now though, is getting as many minds on this as possible. So, I went to the third classmate further to my left.

I woke the final classmate wearing shorts in much the same manner I did the others, who were now predictably panicking and freaking out like I was a moment ago, only more loudly and vocally.

"What the freak is going on?!" "Where are we?" Keeley and Lori were both anxious to figure out their situation, frantic as they realized that they too had no prior memory between falling asleep in their beds and waking up here. Such shared experience only made this harder for me to figure out too.