Crystallized Dreams: A Race Against Time

Chapter 6: A Glass of Water

Michael woke up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth. His first instinct was to get up and go downstairs for a drink of water but as he stood up from his makeshift bed he saw that Josh was missing. Only Katie was left in Roxy's bed and the blankets looked slightly rumpled. But even as he was taking note of this Michael couldn't help but notice how peaceful Katie looked as she slept. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and her breathing seemed so loud and apparent-almost snoring.

With a smile Michael turned towards the bedroom door and tiptoed quietly out of the room. He tried his best to make his way downstairs quietly but instead the floorboards creaked with every step he took. Eventually he made it to the kitchen but before he could go grab a cup to fill with water, he noticed someone sitting at the dining table nearby.

That someone was Josh, and he appeared to be making a small crystal statue of Katie and Michael smiling at each other. When Michael saw this he instantly blushed.

"Uhh," suddenly came out of his mouth without him realizing it. Unfortunately for him Josh heard this.

Josh whipped his head around and saw Michael. His face reddened as he hastily snapped his fingers to make the statue vanish.

"Oh..uh....hey," Josh stammered.

"Uhh, hi....?" Michael said, not sure if he was greeting his companion or asking a question. "So....whatcha up to?"

"N-Nothing. Just thinking," Josh stuttered in reply.

A silence followed. Both boys were equally shaken and red in the face. The silence dragged on and on until suddenly Josh sighed. The red drained from his face as he asked Michael to come and sit down next to him.

"Just thinking, huh?" Michael said with a small smile he took a seat next to Josh. The last of the redness had gone from his face as well.

"Yeah, actually," Josh replied. "Using my powers helps me kinda calm my mind."

Michael nodded to his statement. "So what were you thinking about, if you don't mind my asking?"

Josh turned around in his chair to look out the window at the starry sky. "Do you ever wonder what you're gonna do after you graduate from Red Fountain?"

"I do," Mike answered. "A lot, actually. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I really don't fit in well on this planet anymore. The Magic Dimension feels more like home now."

"I feel the same way. A job here won't do me any good, but after I graduate I don't really know what I'm gonna do with my life. I mean, I guess I'd be the prince of Crystallia if we managed to....."

Josh's voice trailed off. He turned to look back at Michael. "You know, in eight or nine years you could potentially become royalty."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Josh smiled and looked down at the floor. Then he bought his head back up and summoned the small statue he was working on.

"You and Katie are like a match made in heaven," he said, looking straight into Michael's eyes. "You have so much in common but yet you're so different, too. You both can really learn a lot from each other. Like, Katie is kinda crazy while you're a bit laid back. I think you're on the introvert side while she's pretty much an ambivert."