The Fabric of Reality

Chapter Three - Transformation

 School is miserable.

There is just no other way to put it. Even though it's only the first day and there isn't any work to be done, it doesn't change the fact that it is the most mind-numbing experience of my life. I am just as relieved as everyone else when the bell finally rings, releasing us from that dull prison they call a school.

After we were released, I grab my duffel from my locker. Technically, I'm not supposed to be using a locker, because I don't participate in any sports. However, all the other girls in the locker don't seem to care when I'm in there, and nobody in charge even knows that I'm using a locker.

Today when I get my bag, there is a small Post-it note attached, courtesy of Lauren. It read,

Sorry, had dentist appointment. Can't give you a ride. See you tomorrow.

Normally, Lauren gives me a ride home, which is one of the perks to having your best friend own a car. But sometimes things like this turn up, and I end up walking back home.

This time, I decide to take a different route home. A new gang has surfaced and likes to hang out where I usually walk, and I decide that I would rather avoid a confrontation. It's not that I couldn't handle myself, but a fight with some inexperienced gang members was really not worth the hassle.

As I make my way along the streets lined with bakeries, small boutiques, and jewelry shops, I can't help but admire the quaint feeling. This is one of the older parts of Goldenbrook, where the sidewalks along the cobbled streets were filled with pedestrians, and often times most of them were tourists. Maybe I should go this way more often.

My thoughts on the picturesque street are interrupted when something in the corner of my vision catches my eye.

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, I recognize what caught my gaze. It is a street sign.

Wilford Drive.

This is the street where my dream took place. Making a sharp right turn, I push my way through the barrier of pedestrians and make my way down the oddly familiar street. This sidewalk is completely empty, unlike the one I just left.

As I walk down the road, the air seems to grow more hushed and quiet. The loud, crowded atmosphere of the previous road is quickly driven away, and now it seems far behind me. It's better if there are less people anyway.

Finally, I come across a brass address marker fixed to the side of one of the beige brick buildings. It's the one I'm looking for, number forty-two.

Quickly, I duck into the nearest alley and drop all of my bags. After making sure I really am alone, I unzip my duffel.

Everyone, including Lauren, thinks that I just keep extra workout clothes in there. If anyone happened to open it, that is probably what they would see. But they don't know that I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Inside my duffel is everything necessary to disguise myself when I get into situations like these. I swiftly suit up with everything I need. Luckily, I have had a lot of practice, so it didn't take long before I was fully ready.

My boots were slick and black, and rose almost to knee level. I have gloves, also black, that come up past my elbows. My cape flowed down my shoulders, gently dusting the ground near my boots and almost completely covering my nearly skintight bodysuit. The cape glitters like miniature galaxies are trapped within it.

However, my favorite part of my costume is my helmet. It exposes nothing but my mouth, and possesses a sleek yet intimidating design. The media has nicknamed the Helm of Darkness, after the mythical helmet that allowed the god of the Underworld, Hades, to become invisible. It's a pretty clever name, but it isn't my helmet that allows me to become invisible.

I project a quick illusion to make sure my bags remain hidden in the alley. Any passerby that would happen to look in this direction would just see a few trash bags instead of my backpack.

My transformation complete, I cloak myself in shadows and turn invisible. I am no longer Brooke.

I am Ethereal.