The Glade and Its Glitch: Book 2 Allies or Enemies

Chapter 18

Jay awoke to the sounds of crashing. Although he was technically asleep, so he woke up in the dream world. He was back in the body of tiny Jay, in the junkyard seven years before now. Once again, Jay wasn't in control. Tiny Jay leaped out of the bottom bunk and ran out the door leading to his bedroom. Moving into the living room where Ed sat drinking his coffee.

"Hey, buddy." Ed looked up, "You're up early. Did you sleep ok? You know today's not a school day right?"

"Yeah! But I wanted to get up early and play." Jay shivered involuntarily. The words spewed out of his mouth without his control.

Jay bounced in place, or at least tiny Jay did. Older, current Jay wasn't in the driver's seat.

Ed laughed, which comforted Jay. Even though Jay was in a dream world, his dad's laugh was still the same. "Alright, buddy. Well, how 'bout you go get some energy out in the yard before the rest of the family wakes up? I'm still half asleep right now, to be honest. I have no idea how you kids get up at the crack of dawn."

As Jay watched his father's face spazzed.

"Crack of dawn."

Continuing to watch in horror, Ed's face split apart, "I'm still half-" before reforming, "right now, to be honest."

Apparently not noticing, Tiny Jay spoke again, "Ok!" He ran outside and jumped off the steps leading down from the trailer. Tiny Jay pumped his legs, sprinting out to the large piles of scrap. He let out a whoop and grinned when it echoed back.

Jay panted hard. Despite being a ninja, and working out all the time, Jay didn't have the energy of a thirteen-year-old boy who woke up early on a Saturday.

Flinging open a refrigerator door, Jay took note of a large hole in the back. Tiny Jay got down on his hands and knees and crawled through. The world spazzed as he went in. Jay was fearful that as his body was halfway in, the fridge would glitch and the hole would disappear, severing him in half. He had the faintest memory of the fridge hole, and once Jay was completely through he remembered perfectly.

The hole led to a small cavern where rugs were spread on the floor and pictures hung on the walls. Tiny Jay curled up on the floor and hummed, Jay's eyes wandered around the room. The pictures on the walls morphed and fell apart. The images looked to be of trees and tree houses, which was strange because they reminded Jay of the Glade. Yet Jay had no memory of drawing them.

Tiny Jay, still in control of the body, picked his head up. Jay heard giggles coming from behind him. Crawling back out of the fridge hole, tiny Jay looked around.

The laugh sounded again. Jay thought it sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Tiny Jay moved over to the side of the pile of junk, hiding. Though he didn't do a good job because he snickered uncontrollably. Jay silently willed the younger version of himself to be quiet. Whatever was giggling Jay wanted nowhere near him. However, tiny Jay didn't seem bothered.

The giggles got louder as the creature causing them crept closer. Jay thought that maybe it was the same black void he'd seen only a few nights before. Still, he wanted it to stay far, far away from him.

Bursting out from behind the pile of scrap, tiny Jay took off running across the junkyard. Jay followed, without a choice.

Much to the older Jay's chagrin, the black blob was back. Yet, tiny Jay didn't seem to notice or care. The giggles echoed again, and there was no doubt that it was the void making the noise.

Jay wanted to take a step back, but his younger self took a step forward. The void made a noise again, but instead of a laugh, the sound it made was garbled and distorted. Its sides pulsed and threatened to touch tiny Jay.

Tiny Jay just laughed back and ran into the blob.

Bigger Jay was forced to watch as tiny Jay and his body split and the child ran out in front. Arms stretched out, tiny Jay made contact with the void.

His short, and shrimpy arms began to glitch as they became closer to the darkness. It was almost as if his limbs began to dissolve, small pieces started to break away. Those pieces were then dragged into the void before disappearing completely into the nothingness. Soon, tiny Jay was nothing more, his entire body had been broken down and pulled into the black blob.

Jay screamed, it was jarring to see his younger self vanish. Especially in the way that he did. Jay had no memory of anything that had happened, everything was new to him. The blob advanced, its sounds distorting even more. It started changing shape too. It was no longer small and short like tiny Jay had been. It was taller and began to float off the ground.

The lightning ninja began to tremble. He tried to use his power, but it was like he was encased in Vengestone. 'Oh I wish I was anywhere but here' Jay thought to himself, but as soon as the thought entered his head he regretted it.

"Your wish is yours to keep..." the void hissed.