Earthbound: Right at Home [Complete]

Chapter 7: Bricks

Why were you dreaming about a boy you never met before?

Tossing and turning underneath your covers, your heart raced a mile a minute. It was as if you had woken up from a nightmare, your mouth felt dry and your skin felt damp. You still slept well regardless, and fear wasn't the emotion rushing through your veins.

An emotion you didn't know very well... it was foreign to you, almost like an alien suddenly crash landing on earth.

You couldn't really describe it. It was... different.

Strange.

Giving up on going back to sleep, you sit up a little in your cot. It was still early in the morning. Small amounts of sun poured through the windows, creating a soft immaculate glow around the room.

The door was shut tight and the fan was turned off, making things feel a bit... stuffy.

Maybe you were just a bit too anxious or maybe you just needed to get your mind out of the gutter. You were sharing a boys room after all.. this just wasn't your natural environment.

None of this was.

Nothing looked familiar to you when you first arrived. In fact you felt extremely out of place, really far from home. Even though you couldn't exactly remember where home was, you knew you didn't belong here.

Maybe you did.

But...

Where was the evidence?

You looked over at a sleeping Ness, whom at this point was laying across his bed at an awkward angle. His legs dangled over the edge and his head wasn't even near the pillow. You swore you heard snoring, but it was so low you couldn't really tell.

How does one sleep like this...?

You felt that it would be rude to wake him up, so you just gaze at the wall for a while.

Until you sneezed, loud enough to jerk Ness awake.

"PAULA LOOK OUT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, making you flinch in response.

"What the hell?!" You screeched, irritated. Though you instantly regretted your words.

You were at this families mercy.

Ness suddenly shot upward at his bed with wide as, like a dear in headlights, but then quickly shook his head side to side, snapping himself back into reality.

"It's over..." he mumbled to himself.

At this point, you were extremely confused.

"What's over?" You asked.

Ness quickly turned his head, nearly forgetting that you were there.

Silence.

"You're here..." Ness said with a quiet yet trying to be firm tone of voice. You still heard a slight tremor behind those words.

"Yes, the intruder." You stated. Now guilt settling in your stomach.

"Nah, I let you stay." He reassured with a smile that almost looked force. "This room is small so... there isn't really space for you to intrude upon..."

He let out a yawn at the end of his sentence, and like a contagious disease you were soon to follow.

"You okay?" He asked gazing at you.

"I'm fine," you replied. "I guess the real question is, are you okay?"

You were answered with silence once more, not really expecting an answer.

"I'm fine."

That threw you off guard.

It was clear that he wasn't, and it was then you learnt that Ness was a terrible lair.

"Screaming at the top of your lungs first thing in the morning really doesn't indicate wellness," You said feeling a bit smart.

He tensed.

"You heard that?"

"Clear as day..." you answer honestly.

"Really, it's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Hesitation.

His ears turned a shade of bright pink.

"Alright, I'll lay off." You say, grabbing your clothing that was folded neatly on the edge of your cot as you headed out of the room.

This guy was like a brick wall, and for some reason you were determined to crack through it.

Maybe even get some answers.