Bay City

Chapter .1

She sails, with the hope of one day being able to touch the moon just like he once did.

The street was completely empty, with the exception of my own fading shadow. This surreal awareness that I had been feeling wasn't going away, but seemed to be getting heavier, like I was being dragged under in an ocean of calm. The evening light didn't help either. The dying creamsicle sunset just added to the effect. Am I dreaming? It sure feels like it. I rock the plastic bag of groceries in my hand and took a breath. Only a few more blocks to go. I couldn't feel anything. I was going numb, with a gut sense that I was about to pass out.

Shouldn't I be panicking? I was too calm for this situation; it was as if everything just passed right through me. It was incredibly peaceful; The world seemed at ease in this realism. I shook my head in attempt to clear my mind and peered around the road. I spotted something in the corner of my eye and turned to face it. A cat was sitting about ten meters up the street. He stared at me, and I stared back. His eyes were blue; blue like the ocean after a storm, and his fur as black as ink. He seemed to shine in the night, as if he had a personal spotlight. I watched as he turned away from me and started strolling down the lane as if he had someplace to be. My feet began to move from under me, out of sheer curiosity. The dreamlike state started to drain from my body as I began to chase the blue-eyed cat down the block. He moved, each step purposeful and elegant while keeping a steady pace. Left, then right, then right again. We turned up into a thin alley and the cat slowed to climb the inclining stairs. The brick walls that enclosed me were covered with paintings of cherry trees that stretched all the way to the top. The pink blossoms were vibrant like they had just been colored that day. I gasped. How far was I away from home? I couldn't have been running for very long time, but I had never seen this alleyway before in my life. I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't go any farther, but my curiosity overwhelmed it all. I took my first step onto the stone walkway and trailed after the cat.

I put an arm in front of my eyes to block out the sunlight blazing down on me. It was evening when I spotted the cat. This was definitely daytime when I emerged from the alley, no doubt about it. I slowly began to adjust to the blinding bright light, as it revealed a row of fully blossomed cherry trees. It was just like the paintings on the alley walls. I took a second to marvel the beauty of it all. It was fall time, and the cherry blossoms are a springtime type of thing. This, was definitely a dream. A really realistic dream. I must've fallen asleep before I even left the house. I look down at the plastic bag of groceries dangling from my hand. I won't be needing to carry this anymore, since none of this is real after all.

I continued to follow the cat, who was walking straight through the middle of the road, blossoms falling with each little waft of the wind. I felt lighter now, without my bag to weigh me down. I spun myself around, and danced down the street after the cat. I might as well enjoy myself while i'm dreaming, right? The breeze smelled like salt spray with a tinge of cherries and the sky was blue like I had never seen it before.

"I guess this is my land of oz," I spoke to the cat, who I was now standing side by side with, as he walked along the white picket fence next to me. He looked me in the eyes and stopped completely.

"I didn't like that movie, how it ended up being a dream and all."

I nodded in agreement. "I didn't know cats liked to watch movies," My eyes then shot open, and I locked gaze again with him. "Did you just..." I couldn't finish my sentence before the cat bolted down the street and around the corner of the fence. I did my best to keep up, but I just seemed to get farther and farther behind. I hadn't run far before I could hear the sound of crashing waves. I could only catch slight glimpses of the ocean eyed cat, as I was too distracted by the perfect little town and the row upon row of cherry trees. I slowed myself in defeat of losing the chase and wandered aimlessly through the deserted streets. I strolled down a path lined with bamboo stretching higher than I could see. The sky began to darken rapidly with each step I took. Time seemed to be fast-forwarding and stars began to appear above me like holes exposing me to the outside world. Peaceful. This was the most wonderful dream I had ever had. It was just so realistic. At the end of the line of bamboo, I could see the moon hanging over the glossy water. The silhouette of a boy was sitting on the beach, facing away from me. I strolled down through the sand to greet him. The only light was the moon and the glow of some far away city.

"Nice night, isn't it?" I asked in hope of some sort of reply.

He turned his head towards me. To my surprise, he had the exact same eyes as the cat who I was chasing; blue as a sapphire ocean. It felt like forever that I was staring into his face, getting lost in the sea of blue. He was the most beautiful person that I had ever laid my eyes upon. His hair was black and a little messy, but every strand of hair seemed to have been placed with purpose. A little section of it was pulled back into a short pony tail. His smile gave a strong warmth which was evened by the chill in his eyes. He was wearing a charcoal sweater and had silver headphones wrapped around his neck. He caught me staring and his smile turned to a look of annoyance.

"Can I help you?" He snapped.

I was caught off guard from this sudden act of rudeness and I could feel the blood rushing into my cheeks.

"Look sweetheart. You don't want to get involved with me. It would only bring you bad luck." The boy spoke, before turning back to face the water again. "Just leave me alone."

I glared at him. This was my dream, he had no right to be so rude. No matter how good looking he was, I wasn't about to let him ruin the nice time I was having here.

I lowered myself down and sat next to him.

"Honestly honey, leave. This isn't a good idea." He scowled.

"Nothing is stopping me from wanting to enjoy this night," I retorted, "If you are so concerned about it, then you should leave."

"You really are difficult aren't you." As he spoke, I noticed the cat whom I had been following, sitting right next to him. We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before I broke the peace once again.

"Is that your cat?" I asked.

He hesitantly nodded and placed a hand on its back protectively. "That means that it was your cat who lead me all the way over here. The one who spoke to me." As I uttered these last words, his eyes widened. I immediately regretted what I had said. He probably thought I was insane now.

"Look girl, you've dug yourself into a deep, deep grave. This isn't a cat. It's a demon and the worst thing you could do is follow.." his voice trailed off, "No, no, no. You can't be. You must be kidding me." He scrambled to his feet and began to mutter something in a language that I couldn't understand. His eyes began to glow, and I could see a genuine look of fear on his face. He was looking at me like I was some kind of monster. I stood up and stepped away in a panic.

"Begin, moon." As soon as these words slipped from his lips, the cat next to him disappeared with a flash of light. The sudden flare blinded me sooner than I could cover my face. I stumbled backwards and before I regained my eyesight, I could feel something cold and sharp pressing against my neck and a hand wrapped around my waist. The boy was standing behind me, holding a long inky black blade to my collar.

"Don't you dare move, or i'll kill you on the spot."

I could feel blood running down my chest as he pressed it tighter. The sharp weight of truth hit me hard. This wasn't a dream, this was real pain. This was reality that I was living right now, and the fury in his voice was just as legitimate.